I have reading LA’s blog..and used several of her recipes. Thanks for starting this site!! Very encouraging..and fun.

The one thing that I get frustrated with is my lack of planning around dinner. Over the summer I found myself reading lots of blogs, starting with Leigh Anne’s. While connecting to blogs all over the country I found several sites with awesome recipes and meal planning ideas (thepioneerwoman.com is fabulous, try the Apple Dumplings from her site!). I decided that heading into the fall I would start a dinner menu. I should have started this 17 years ago! Not only does knowing whats for dinner make my day easier we are trying new things. My teenage boys (and my 42 year old boy) are loving it! Yesterday I planned for this week and already started on the week after. I print the menu and post on the fridge; not only does it have the menu but also activities for the day and a place for notes. I leave the weekend blank and requests can be written in, the request for last Sat. was “Tuna Casserole (not my fave), Green Beans and Chili” needless to say, Jordan the 14 year old needs some meal planning training. Its been the best 3 weeks of dinner ever. I’m ready for our fall routine and high-school football games. Have a great back to school week!

I need to get in the habit of meal planning. So often I just wait until about 15 minutes or so prior to dinner time to try to figure out what to make. That doesn’t make for a very satisfactory dinner. I am going to look on the web site (thepioneerwoman.com) that Mollie spoke of. Maybe it can get me inspired. I am going to be having surgery next week and would like to have some meals planned, shopped for, and maybe even made and in the freezer for my husband to fix for us while I am down. Wish me luck, I’ll need it.

Well, I have no new fall routine. Fall used to mean new crayons and notebooks, buying shoes that were guaranteed to make kids run faster and jump higher, and most importantly structure to my days. Now all of the kids are gone and frankly I am flopping around like a fish out of water.

Well, my intention is to find a new fall routine. And quick!! But in the meantime I will lavish in the fact that I don’t have to get up at 5:30 am to make sure we are really going to get to Seminary (although sadly force of habit still jogs my brain into wakefulness at that magic hour). I will absolutely love not making lunches every day or writing out the check for school lunches (which never really filled up my kids and which I also believed weren’t worth even a quarter of what they cost). I will be in heaven at the fact that I don’t have to check to make sure homework, instruments, signed forms, school books, gym clothes, etc., etc. are packed and ready to take to school (and that I won’t be making trips to the school to drop off said items!). And I can’t even begin to describe the joy I will feel at not having the school call me to say “This is the high school. One or more of your children have been reported as being absent from one or more of their classes today. Please send a note tomorrow or call xxx-xxxx giving the student’s name, date of absence, reason for the absence, and your name.” (What can I say, I didn’t have perfect children!)

And, I will sit at the window watching the neighborhood children climbing on the buses and feel more than a little blue that that era of my life passed by so amazingly quickly. And then I will think about all of the possiblities for my day and I will select the ones that I like the most or that are the most pressing and I will get on with it!

Oh I just thought, my dog actually helps me with my routine. He is ready for a long walk while it is still cool outside. That is really the best way to start my day. We will walk and ponder and solve problems. And the advantage is that he poops several times during our walks (don’t worry I always clean up after him) and then I don’t have to go out and clean up our own yard!

My fall routine used to center around getting the children back in school, football, soccer, and volleyball games, and managing so many hats. . . .Now that the children are on their own, I realize I need to get other routines. . . .such as preparing early for Christmas, walking more now that it is not so hot (I live in the Phoenix area), and being better about my meals. (now that it is not so hot and I can cook).

THANKS LEIGH ANNE AND SHERRA FOR THIS AMAZING WEBSITE!

I’m with Kathy–my youngest left today for an LDS mission, he is in Texas. My other 5 are married and live out of state (with our 9 grandchildren! So we are truely ‘empty nesters’. I am trying to make dinner for just two and stay conneted to all of our children and grandchildren. I think I will be looking into a webcam and maybe starting my own blog!! Stay tuned….

I’m on the other end of this spectrum. My daughter starts Kindergarten on Thursday (she already has her oufit picked out) and my son is in 2nd grade. He’s been set since he received a camoflauge backpack at our church’s Back to School Prayer Breakfast! Me? Not yet ready but getting there.

SinceI work full time the kids and I make lunches after dinner and set out our clothes for the next day. We check the calendar to see if there are school or other activities the next day to see if we need anything else.

The hardest thing to do is plan meals. My husband has to start dinner and he doesn’t like anything complicated. We have agreed to find 5 meals he feels he can cook. We’ll do 1 take out night and 1 left over night. When we get tired of those 5 each week we will pick five more. I’ll let you know how it goes.

First of all I want to say thanks to all you ladies who have left a comment and shared with us! I love reading your comments and getting to know you.

Tomorrow my baby will start her first day of her sophomore year of high school – my other 3 will start their freshman, junior and senior year of college. At our house there will only be one first day of school outfit to pick out, one lunch to make and one picture to take in front of the school bus flag we always hang in front of the house.

My first step in reconnecting with my routines is to join the 5 o’clock club again. I dropped out during the summer and so miss that “alone time” before my day starts. It helps me to reconnect with myself each day. I use the time to pray, mediate, write in my journal and do some reading before I begin the business of the day. You might want to consider joining me!
For more info on the 5 o’clock club check out this post on my personal blog.
http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/finding-focus-the-5-oclock-club/

I get up at 5 a.m. every morning, but had no idea there was a club! I spend an hour or so organizing the day ahead over a cup of coffee (or two…or three) and have a chance to wake up before heading to the gym. I find my workout more relaxing knowing that my office is organized and ready for business when I get home. Otherwise I spend the time thinking “I should be doing (fill in the blank)” and try to rush through my routine.

My fall routine does not vary much from the rest of the year except in the fact that more clothes are required as the cool weather settles in. Ahhh….Michigan!

The fact that there is a routine to fall back to is nice. Summer gets to me b/c there isn’t much of a routine to stick to. Lots and lots of free time gets hard.

I started making w/ getting the kids to shower & jammies before dinner at 6-6:30. My kids are still young enough that they do not have activities late into the night (thank goodness). I also make their lunch the night before so I can have a less stressful morning.

In the mornings we have a 15-20 minute family devotional time w/ scripture reading and family prayer. This has been most beneficial.

Moved chores back to Saturday morning since the kids now have homework and play time after school that many times runs right until shower time.

Have I mentioned how fabulous this blog is. I just love, love, love it.

I have a brand new routine this year, since it is my oldest daughter’s first year of being in school ALL DAY! I promised her an hour of “mom” time right after school. We go through her backpack together, do any homework and reading that she needs to get done, and then if there is time left over, we play! It is fun to be able to connect with her each day after school. Now the trick is getting all of my other “Stuff” done before she gets home so that I can focus on just HER as soon as she arrives! ;o)

Family has to come first. Those are the memories that will last and I have to tell myself that each time I go to bed without getting “everything” done. But I am grateful that each day I hope that I made a new memory with my family and they know they are the most important to me.