order.

image from ollibird

We are officially gearing up for school to start August 11th.  I saw a link to this weekly meal planner on a friends blog and thought I'd share it.  I love the idea of framing it and writing on the glass with a dry erase marker, you could also do the same thing by putting it under a sheet protector and hanging it with a magnet on the fridge.  I'll be posting more ideas on how to stay organized and sane while prepping for another school year.  I'd love to hear your ideas on creating order.

school supplies.

I love this time of year, it means school supplies are on sale, and I get to stock up.

I'm not sure what it is about a new box of pencils or a stack of spiral notebooks but I love it all, don't you?

gossip.

One thing we have been trying to do more of around our house is gossip.  Now wait a minuet it's not what you think.  Anytime we see our kids within earshot of us we (my husband and I) let them over hear us gossiping about them.  All good things of course.  It's just another small way you can let them know you love and care about them.  Try it sometime, spread some happiness!

family mission statements.

A few years ago I began the process of writing a family mission statement.  I had to think about what was really important to our family, what we wanted to teach our kids, what kind of people we wanted to be in the world, and what kind of family we wanted to be.
It took some time but it has made all the difference to our family.  Opportunities have presented themselves that have helped us accomplish the things that we had said our family is all about.  Like serving others and opening our home up to those in need.
I think it is such a good idea, after you write it place it in a spot where you will see it.  It's also something that you'll want to update often, as your family changes and grows.
For inspiration just google family mission statements and see what you find.

sheets.

(image from pioneerwoman.com)

At first I thought the pioneer woman was all about recipes but I've recently realized it's so much more.  One day I was checking out her home and garden section and found this post about making multiple beds after guests leave.  And let me tell you her solution is genius, when you take the sheets out of the wash put them directly on the bed, and smooth them out, let them hang and air dry (which happens quickly), and you end up with crisp, clean sheets.  Love it, it's the only way to go!

garden.

After writing this post, we did end up planting a small garden. We bought seeds and put them in the ground not really expecting much to happen, but we've been happy with the growth and the kids have loved it.

inspired

I spent some time with my family this past weekend and my sister told me about 71 toes, a blog I just had to read.  It is worth looking at.  I'll admit at first glance I felt like I could never be like this woman, but after I got over that I just felt inspired like I can do better and be more for my family. 

I noticed nienie posted about emersonmade too.