I thought I'd NEVER do this...
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
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I've got 2 on their way to college next week, 1 still with me (age 15). My advice for these years: 1) Family dinners on weekends only (I know, it's sad to give them up but I have two D1 athletes and it was impossible); 2) Throw money at the problem when u can. Plenty of caterers will do the turkey and 2-3 sides for Thanksgivings & u can fill in the blanks; 3) Don't feel guilty about a Pizza Hut/Dominos night weekly; 4) In your case, maybe hire a tutor to come 1-3x/week and/or do remote schooling wherever possible. Your "disorganization" (which it's not, really) is kind of a pseudonym for being a control freak - and I say that with love. Give up some of what you consider your responsibilities to favor your, and your family's balance. Big hugs!
I’m so glad I ran across this Angela! We have six, homeschool and sports with public school systems along with 4H and I ABSOLUTELY hate planning! I once had a homeschool acquaintance almost faint when she asked to see my master calendar for everyday. What?!? I just live life. Once she showed me her master schedule, I understood. Her schedule was in 15 minute increments from 6:00-6:00. Took me a while to mentally recover but in the end I had to accept who I was and that yes, God gave me 6 and this is how we do it! I am on the other side of life now, having successfully graduated 4 of my 6. Oldest just received a masters and has landed her first job. Second is a double major graduate and is headed to PA school. Third and fourth are in college. Not bad for a non planner! Reassuring to see that I am not the only one who embraces life spontaneously. Love your content!
I am a "way ahead planner" 😂 BUT I wasn't that way until I became a single mom at 22 years old. It was born out of necessity (mainly around budgeting). My #1 tip is to set aside a separate calender where you can see two to three months at one glance. I just make my own on printer paper or download a free printable & print it off in a poster size from an office supply store (blueprint size) for $3. I fill in all the holidays, Birthdays, main events, and plan backwards. For instance, October 1st I write "buy pumpkin patch tickets" and on Novemeber 1st "make reservation at Christmas tree farm" etc.
I do this too but on my phone calendar so that it reminds me un the morning and I don't need to worry about it until I get the notification
As a Type A + introvert, I love planning far ahead. That gives me time to prepare for it. 😂 My husband will make plans with friends and I will ask him the day of what time they’re meeting, where they’re going, etc, and he will say “I don’t know. We haven’t decided yet.” It drives me nuts. 🤣🤣
Same. My husband’s whole family is like that, and I just want a solid time we are gonna eat Thanksgiving dinner.
Oh my goodness!! Your Benjy is an absolute dream boat!!!!!!! 💙 love watching his sweet self!! All your children are just lovely!! Congratulations on your 18 years of marriage!!! Bruce and I celebrated our 47 on 7/31! 🎉 ❤
Yup. The Lord truly has a sense of humor. Up until now, I was THAT person, who had the whole next year planned, and now... Circumstances just don't allow to plan even the next day. Funny thing is... that IS simplification in a way for our family.
So yeah. I'm starting to believe that in this crazy everyday life, maybe the Lord wants us to simplify and enjoy life more, rather than race through it.
Lots of love from Bulgaria❤🇧🇬
This mom I know who has 8 children is fond of saying, "if you're ever feeling behind in life just get ahead on Christmas"
😂
Oh my gosh that’s great!
I love to plan but I absolutely hate to commit. Confuses the heck out of my husband.😂
Last year I found out I was pregnant (at 47!) so I pared way down on our homeschool routine and focused on curriculum the kids could do mostly independently. It worked out pretty good so we’re doing that again this year. All the extras seem to find their way in whenever it’s possible so my main focus in only in the core subjects. This will be year 19 of homeschooling for me and every year I think to myself “I think I’m finally starting to figure this out.” Then I go and change it all up again to try something new.😂
I had my youngest at 46. After 33 years of car seats, I have one more month to go. Except for grandkids that is.
Lol! I LOVE planning! Angie just like you meal plan, you can plan ahead! For example: in February I love to schedule all health appts for the year ( paediatrician, dentist, etc) as a way of taking care of our health and loving ourselves and celebrating Saint Valentines day/month. I also look at all birthdays, anniversaries etc and keep a list with me to remind me of taking advantage of sales. My daughter will be sweet 16 next year! That needs major planning ☺️ A good day planner is essential. I haven't found the perfect one yet ☺️Then look at any activities/competitions etc and block off that time. Prompt yourself a few times - 1 month and also 2 weeks - ahead in the planner with a reminder of what event is coming up. Schedule a shop for gifts or groceries the week or 2 before.
Schedule in a weekend for fall/ spring cleaning.
Etc… You can do it Angie! Or I can for you ☺️
Simplifying! ✋🏼….. i can barely plan a month ahead … living a country life with chickens and a garden has brought lots of perspective… living for today and enjoying each moment is what matters most to me. One day at time 😊
What I do is write down reminders in my planner!! So whenever you have a random thought, like your polar Express idea, or Thanksgiving meals, go plot it in in your planner early enough that you can make it happen! So like plug in "start getting Thanksgiving canned goods" etc at the end of Sept/early October. Write down "look into fun holiday reservations" for the same time period. Basically plan a season earlier than the season you're planning for (plan summer stuff in the spring, winter stuff in the Fall, etc)
It’s me the planner person 🙋🏻♀️ I look ahead to the next “season” or two and make an overarching list of what activities/events I want the family to do. And I sticky note it to my fridge calendar. Anything with tickets I try to book in advance OR tentatively schedule. Obviously with kids things come up so sometimes I have to switch dates around but this overarching seasonal list really helps me get a feel for what I want the fam to do. Hope this helps!!!
Ma’am. Never in my life have I spent 32 dollars on a candle!!!! 😂 your family is absolutely precious. Love you guys ❤
Lol that's what I was thinking. For one!?
With kids the stress constantly crescendos, wait till they are choosing mates😮😢 but planning ahead is the only way to get the stuff that is only available for short times, like great instant potatoes that Costco sells just before Thanksgiving, but if you grab a few boxes will provide a quick, easy and yummy base to a meal in the summer too. By reacting instead of planning, your stress is higher
Happy anniversary and birthdays to ya’ll! I hope you continue to feel better!!❤️
One fun way to plan ahead is to dream of the fun/special ways you would like to celebrate each season (you could do this at the beginning of the year, or whenever) and write down the list. A place you always wanted to visit as a family? The polar express? Picking strawberries? Whatever, write down a list. Then knowing this “bucket list” for the year, you could plug those in on your calendar for whatever season is fitting for your family, and you can go ahead and get an idea of what it will take to make it happen (buying tickets in advance, saving up for it etc) This makes it fun to have things to look forward to throughout the year 🥰 Always holding plans with an open hand, knowing things come up, we can be flexible! I hope that is helpful ❤️
I’m so proud of your family as a whole, thanks for sharing 😊
I’m a type-A planner, used to be elementary school teacher, who is expecting my first baby mid-October. That means I’m currently planning Thanksgiving and Christmas at the end of AUGUST! I know after I have this baby my world will be flipped upside down but I know having everything planned will give me such a sense of normalcy and have-it-together-ness that I will be craving. If my plans go out the window, so be it, but at least they will be there! Lol! I’m living through LISTS. List of to dos before the baby arrives…fall bucket lists…ways I want to decorate the house…Thanksgiving hosting for my family and visiting my husbands family over Christmas…etc. Just have a book with all the lists, so that when you need it, you know where it is! Sometimes lists get lost in my phone and that’s the worst!
I have 4 kids. I only ever do core subjects. The others come naturally (Library classes or special local events, zoo pass, etc). It's worked very well
I just dropped my youngest off at her dorm yesterday. There’s a lot of other stuff going on in my personal life that doesn’t help but I will tell you firsthand it does not get easier.😢😢😢❤❤❤
As a Grandma - I’ve used a paper calendar MY WHOLE LIFE! School classes were scheduled regularly along with any changes= BIG eraser. Now retired- I’m using a 5 year calendar- cause all the appointments are many months/ year out.
G- children games/ schedules are filled in. HIGHLIGHT/ note special appointments.
I'm with you Angie. It's so hard and so crazy. My 7 kiddos are 11.5 and down to 5mnth old. I never get anything planned ahead. (Last month I didn't get my 10 year old son's b-day gifts ordered till a couple days before his b day so they didn't get here on time. But he was so good about it. He said, "Mom, as long I actually get gifts, that is all I can about." ) I've been doing ONLY the core subjects for a few years now because I couldn't possibly do more than that...teaching several kids to read simultaneously is plenty. I often feel like there is VERY little advice or hacks online that are helpful for me. On the meal subject: I do like to have the makings on hand for several meals that can be put together in 15-20 minutes max. I LOVE to pressure chicken in jars so its already cooked and thawed and can make a SUPER easy meal. I've also been crock-potting pork roasts and then putting them into the freezer. Pulled pork can make a lot of meals. Those are my quick and easy meal hacks for you.
I am feeling the need for more simple but meaning full homeschool this year! Got my excitement back - phew. I DO find that things got a LOT easier once my youngest was 5. Things are different busy but definitely easier. I can finally stay on top of my house better (after some SERIOUS) binging of The Minimal Mom and the book “organizing at the speed of life” and working at that the last year. ❤
This is the type of family channel that knows the boundaries, she doesn’t over expose her children!
Who decides what over exposure is?
I break out in hives if things aren't planned weeks in advance. Lol! When I talk about "Christmas in July" it means I'm making plans for the upcoming Christmas season. Theme nailed down, start gathering needed supplies, plan out the *3* birthdays we have, etc.
I HAVE to have it all planned out so I know where I can slip in extended family activities, friend's dinner parties, and church.
Wait, what Rosie is 12??? Where did that time go ????
No way she is 12!?🤯
I can’t believe how long I’ve been watching this channel… I remember when she was in the orphanage!
Right? The math ain’t mathing for me here!
I had to go back and see- adopted 7 years ago at 4,5
Thank you for sharing! So glad to know I'm not the only non-planner! Lol
I am absolutely in the same simplifying boat this year! We have 10 kids (ages 22 down to 3) 7 are at home, 2 are now engaged, 1 graduating, and we just found out we have a grandbaby on the way! ❤ So simplification is a must this year! So encouraged to hear others doing the same, makes me really feel that we're doing the right thing 😊
I love minimal mom. My house is so much better after using her tips!
I am a planner. I am also adding my middle two kids into homeschooling officially this year. We plan on 90 day increments. Breaking the year into 4 pieces. Add in birthdays, holidays, any therapy or doctors appointments, add in possible sporting events that may require travel like district/regional/state soccer for my oldest. What 1 event in each 90 day cycle are you absolutely doing? Fall we fill the pumpkin bags with leaves and study nature/weather and fall animals. Winter we want to add possible snowboarding trip so starting August is information collection and pricing by September we make a decision if we can financially make it happen. Then if it's a yes, reservations are made, and detail planning starts in October. By November we have all that is needed and should be ready. Same concept for Christmas as well. This is just what has worked for us especially since I am military.
For planning, you might love the book “the lazy genius way.” She gives great, practical tips!
I use notes in my phone for all my planning, then I can use the search bar to find stuff 😂 a note with just "January, February...." and listing the stuff going on can help me decide if it's going to be too much really far ahead.
I try and think ahead in broad terms of a year. What are the things that are important and matter to us. I will then begin saving or making a plan for how I want to be able to do those things when the time comes. Example, every thing that happens at Christmas feels so expensive, so I will either begin setting aside money ahead of time to pay for it, or will mark in my calendar when tickets go on sale. and buy them as far away from Christmas as possible. (I bought our Nutcracker tickets in July this year) Because Christmas time is expensive! Even Thanksgiving, back when my husband had a much lower paying job, I would always work a tiny bit of what we needed for thanksgiving into my groceries the month or two prior to Thanksgiving to buy it. I think it's easier to make a plan ahead of time, when monetary reasons force you to.
Lol
The one and ONLY time I was way ahead of Christmas (27 years ago) ....I left the kids/hub early one morning to finish last min shopping. When I returned, found out that my 3 y.o. twins had unwrapped alllllll the presents....while in the same room.....with my husband who slept through their mischief, UNTIL they tossed some plates (my m.i.l.'s gift) and broke them. 😮 It's one of my fam stories NOW, but I cried then. Lol
The stress over big kids definitely trumps the stress of baby/toddler years. I wish I could go back.
😮😮😮 I thought the toddler stress was the worst 😅
I feel that babies/toddlers are physically exhausting and that older children are more emotionally exhausting.
When my, now adult, children were littles (3-8) and we homeschooled, planning was fluid, I had the core curriculum (reading, writing, math, science, history and Bible) for all 3- we always started every school day with prayer and Bible, then we would go to Reading and writing on Mondays and Wednesday’s, Math and Science on Tuesdays and Thursdays and History Friday mornings, and “school” was a total of 2 hours each day with a lot of breaks as the 3-8 year olds get distracted easily. Then between ages 9-12 we schooled 4 hours per day and the subject days were just like when they were younger and we added literature also and a second language once per week. Then from 13-18, they had 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with added subjects of chemistry, algebras, physics, calculus civics, Constitutional studies, and electives were Art, Music, Sports, computer. And through all of it we’re basic chores and cooking/baking (we incorporated our math and science and history in that), laundry, pee-wee to high school activities like sports and dance- and believe it or not, we had plenty of time to play and just be because we did have a schedule. We schooled 4 1/2 days per week for 6 weeks at a time, off for 2 weeks all year round. Our teenagers chose to be aggressive with their high school curriculum and finished at 16 years old. All those advanced high school classes were done with a homeschooling Co-Op where other homeschooling parents and community volunteers whose jobs or degrees were in those fields, gathered together to help teach each others children in areas we were not strong in or where our children were way more advanced in certain subjects than we could keep up with.
And this is the first year where I have felt like the year is continuous, as in we paused for Summer but the school year isn’t this jarring new beginning, it’s just going back to formal academics.
Yea I want to simplify everything. I just look around and everything looks like a tornado hit. I’m always doing things at the last second and always feel overwhelmed. Things keep piling up. I needed this vid today
I am a planner and my calendar is my best friend for that! I will think of something I want to do and then figure out when I need to start working on that thing and put a task in my calendar for when I need to start. So let's say you miss out on polar express last year, so last November you put a reminder in your calendar to research it next September. You in September will be happy you put the reminder in because life gets busy and you'll probably forget😊
We have simplified our schooling & literally flipped everything on it’s head just in the past week/2 weeks. & I only have one 9 year old to homeschool. We are now doing Miacademy for the majority of his homeschool lessons with a little of other things we have thrown into the mix (scripture memorization; BSF ~ Bible Study Fellowship ~ we are both taking this course as it’s now offered to homeschool moms & KIDS up to age 18… this one we are both stoked about as we’ve never been able to do this together before!!! The Fallacy Detective, character training ~ both of us; manners ~ Everyday Graces; handwriting ~ he’s learning cursive; hard decisions & consequences ~ What would YOU do; devotionals; & our BSF homework).
It probably sounds like a lot but he gets his coursework with MIACADEMY done in less than 2 hours & we were able to try it out for 7 days for about $2. YES!!! $2.00/7 days just to see if it was a good fit. & YES!!! A fantastic fit!!! Also, most of the books (with the exception of our chapter books, Everyday Graces, cursive handwriting, devotional & BSF homework is on a loop. So it’s not like most of these are daily. The chapter books are mostly daily, but it just depends on the day. It helps us make sure that we get everything in that we want & need to but if it doesn’t happen THAT DAY it’s ok because it’s on the next chance we get to do it. So what it looks like in my homeschool planner (if you haven’t incorporated paper clips ~ I USE THE HUGE ONES for the big books, including my planner week 🤣 ~ you’re missing out), is that it’s written down in my planner & as it gets done, I highlight it in a neutral color (anything other than bright yellow 😁) & that way I quickly know that that has been done, & I no longer have to think about doing it. If it’s something that has several “lists of pages to do” it’s only the pages that get done & once it’s all done for the week, the whole thing is highlighted. For example, Everyday Graces PP 1-3, PP 4-7, PP 20-21. JUST the pages that have been already gone through get highlighted. ONCE EVERY ONE OF THE PAGES is done for the week… Everyday Graces also gets highlighted. If we get to Friday & EVERYTHING is done, we can go do something fun for the day. Whether it’s an adventure outing (we have Route 66 tourist type things passbook that we are still trying to get all of our stickers/things signed that we did it) or one of our memberships that we can utilize ~ the zoo, Kidz FunTown (indoor playground for kids), etc.
9 year old has hockey 4-6 days of the week & plays both as a regular player AND as a goalie. It is also a very good possibility that he will be on the traveling team next year so we need to have ‘all our ducks lined up’ so to speak. He LOVES hockey & has not only games & practices but also is big into doing “duck squad” which is the younger kids going out to pick up the ducks that the fans throw on the ice rink when our home team scores a goal & he gets to go out & pick them up with some of the other kids. It’s a fun honor for the kids & they love it! He also has development skills & 1 on 1 coaching.
Hubby & I are also very involved with our church. Much more so than our old church as this is a smaller church & they definitely need & love all the volunteers they can get! So this year is DEFINITELY crazy!!! LOL I’m definitely a person who needs her planner but I also try to incorporate a little fun into our “schedule” because it’s a ton of different moving parts. Add in Wild +Free (homeschool group activities like hiking, learning, adding a book club to it this year, etc) day of the week, & going to a friend’s house for science experiments on another day of the week… it’s a bit exhausting & daunting at times just trying to keep everything straight! 😂 My ADD & my son’s doesn’t help 🤣 So far, it’s working AMAZING!!!
The only difference I felt when my kids got older was more sleep. I had more rest. It's much easier to deal with things when you've slept all night.
Benjamin, how old are you? "Sixteen." 😂❤
For planning, I’ve found notion to be the most helpful although it’s tough to figure out how to use it at first 😂 I created a family dashboard with macro categories like home, relationships, activities, events, individual family member pages, and “archive.” The major subpages I’ve focused on so far are vacations, holidays, and recipes/meal plans. After I had a baseline setup, I just add things as I think of them/have time and put them in their logical macro category. It’s been a great way to make planning feel like a fun, creative activity and for everyone in the family to have access to any information they might want or need!
I am new to your channel. Just found out about you from your recent video with Dawn from The Minimal Mom. I wanted to make a comment about scheduling. I also hate planning things in advance because I prefer flexibility. But sometimes we must commit early in order to be able to do certain things. So I plan SEASONLY. Summer is about to end (in actuality, it has ended because my kids are back to homeschool.) So I will be working on scheduling for September and October (with some thoughts about November and December dates, too!) I work best by breaking my year up into seasons and making my schedule and my list of projects for that period together. I live in a winter climate so in the fall I must prepare for winter. A lot of these tasks occur in September and October since we usually get snow in November. Hope this idea helps someone who wants to break their time up into bite-sized chunks.
Hi Angie! Thanks for sharing! I feel what you are saying about the need to plan ahead but it feeling overwhelming to implement. What I've been doing is setting reminders about two months ahead for things I'm thinking about for the upcoming season. I write it in my paper planner and also sometimes set phone calendar reminders. For instance - looking up pumpkin patch dates/times. I have had that written in my planner since June. :) You can do this!
Please share some crockpot meal ideas in the future.🙏🏻 I’m in need of some easy meal inspiration.🍲Thanks!
“Convenience is my game, Angie is my name”😂❤
Start planning 4 things a year. 3-6 month in advance and then work the rest of your life around them. You’ll love it.
For pre planning I just look over the calendar and any events/holidays/vacations that we have or may need as a family and then put reminders in my phone calendar of when I need to start pre planning for those. That way I don’t constantly have to think of the “what’s next” event/holiday/vacation wise. And that seems to elevate some of my stress. I typically do it when we get the school calendars for the kids and I do it the entire school season.
So ex. I’ll put Christmas plans at the beginning/mid of October, see what I want to do, see when tickets etc may go on sale and put those days in and then see what can I buy now what do I have to buy a few weeks ahead and put reminders in my phone from there
REMINDERS ARE YOU FRIEND for planning ahead and using a calendar especially with alarms. And a rough outline on when to start and sitting down for a whole season ahead of time will make it easier when the actual time comes so you don’t constantly have to think about pre planning all year
Benjamin is so funny 🤣 he said he is 16 and then 14 😊 he is so cute.
Love your videos! A great planning tip is to spend a couple hours researching when you need to make reservations, etc... for something. Have your calendar out and plug in the dates of when you need to make those reservations along with the date you are doing said event. You could even write out shopping for Thanksgiving dinner this week 🤪
I’m trying to be a planner, ISO two weeks out at a meal planning, chores and activities level. But for things that “aren’t seasonal” yet, I have a post it in my planner on each month, and there I tell myself the thing I’m going to have to think about/plan for, when the thought comes to mind so I don’t forget. Example, in may I heard about year long Bible studies, I’d never heard of that. So I wrote in my October post it, to start researching year long Bible studies. That way right now my brain is free of that thought because I wrote it down for a designated time to think about it.
Calming the chaos!
Watched while folding laundry & had to convince myself that it was Benji & not Jonah! 😂 Where has the time gone?! It is a thief I tell ya! My daughter will be 4 in October as well. (We adopted her from birth as well and have watched her & Benji grow up together! 😊)
I’m at the same point. Implementing some therapies for dysgraphia, dyslexia, hand-eye coordination and just simplifying everything else! All about reading is still on top of our list, along with All About Spelling and math. Good Bless you.
I’m a hyper type-A personality. Planning comes naturally but it’s hard for me to be type-B. A- is my goal.
My advice, just do it and keep doing it. Your muscles will build over time.
Super planner right here girlfriend! I came to be this way because with hubs career he has to bid for time off. So we have to know everywhere we want to go for the upcoming ENTIRE YEAR, in Nov of the year before. So we do a lot of things pencil in the planner, and then firm trips up a few months before. But just forecasting and getting it down really does help with making it happen as far as the family travel goes!
Planning ahead/planning too many things at once is overwhelming if you have ADHD. Not saying you do btw. In my case I get anxiety, keep changing my mind, I freeze, not able to make a decision, took me two years to choose a colour for the livi6mg room, I end up doing half job badly done😅. I think the key is simplify. Simplify your calendar, your cooking, your cleaning routine, your life, your children life's, your home and if sthg doesn't work change it.
Also having some kind of accountability helps and giving yourself time to do ish a task ie clean kitchen in 10 min, do garden for an hour etc. Otherwise time seems to run away with me
I'm the same age as you, married 18 years, and my oldest is starting grade 11 this year too. I'm a planner but with wiggle room.
I'm in the same boat except were very simple here and only ever "school" the absolute basics and then fun learn the rest with shows, trips, google searches and projects. But I'm a terrible planner so this year I'm trying to get a schedule together so I have something to rely on and thebkids can rely in a but more of a routine. Kind of like your weekly meal plan. I want a few educational crafts per week that are planned out that i can refer to and buy for if Ineed a certain craft paper or play doh or some specialty thing, I'll get that a week or two ahead. But knowing *how* to get that planned up and organized... Its a bit overwhelming to be sure.
Oh my gosh I do the same thing when our kiwi co boxes come in. I hide them as quickly as possible because it usually comes at a time right before dinner... not a good time to start the boxes!
I'm trying to make life more simple. I'm going to try the block planning method. We can't stick to a rigid schedule but we need "a flow".
I’m a super planner, but I’m really trying to be more like you and just go with the flow and take things as they come. Lol. It’s kind of like how girls with straight hair want curly hair and curly hair girls want straight hair. We always want what we aren’t. Being a super planner can be really stressful.
Something that helped me more than anything was doubling up when I cooked something that could be frozen to use the next week. Bulk cooking freezer meals was too much for me but doubling up pasta sauce, Mexican meat, soups etc worked perfectly
Benjamin is 3 already?! Oh my goodness, its been a while since I've watched your videos!
6:24 That’s how I feel about about a coconut candle I got from Barnes and Nobles one year. So I save it and only burn it occasionally to make it last. Superb vlog Angela!
My twins are 3 - 4 in just a month. My older ones are 15 & 13. It does fly. I never feel k too if it and I am really trying to enjoy each season as we have it. ❤
Angie, the tickets for the polar express in Spencer, NC that is run through the transportation museum went on sale in July! I said "July! Christmas isn't even close to being on my mind in July! It's still summer!" If I have to plan for Christmas in summer then it's not meant for me to go.
Using a digital calendar AND a diary I find is critical, my diary and notebook have the braindumps with alllll the ideas and lists. But my digital calendar is where things are committed, the confirmed and details, but also weekends blocked out for activities and projects. I “plan” by quarters/seasons only, and will theme a main focus for each quarter. Eg. This quarter is all about health, so I am planning my check ups, hiking trips, healthy recipes etc. Anything else is an idea for a future quarter only. There is flexibility in that I will have all quarter to accomplish whatever activity or project, but it has been assigned so there is some accountability to myself and satisfaction of ticking things off the list.
I struggle as well with the life we lived and the effort that took when we had 2 kids vs 4. It has impacted the experience I feel like I'm giving the younger kids in particular. The funny thing is, they wouldn't even know. It's not like the older kids are lording it over their younger siblings and, at 19 and 20, they know life is just different now. The things we did then sometimes don't even exist now.
That's my burden to put down. I'm shifting to focusing on what I can plan, and handle, that is available to us now. The world has changed in the 10 year interim, I'm that much older, maybe wiser, and they are different kids.
From a forward planning perspective, with the older 2 kids being up and out, things need to be planned around their life schedules, their availability, too. So I need to get really ahead of things, and that's been a shift. Particularly our oldest son who is in the Army so we need to take advantage of his block leave twice per year, while also not ceasing to plan things because he's not here and thinking we should save it all for when he is.
Having older kids is different, definitely not easier.
I typically plan 6 weeks out...sometimes I plan the whole year out. But this year we were limited on funds so I wasn't able to purchase all my curriculum early in the summer. I still have 1 more purchase to make.
The Harvest Spice candle from target by Hearth and Hand is my addiction 🤣 last year I kept the container after it ran out so I could smell it. I’ve never loved a candle so much
Happy belated birthday to you,
the twins and Rosie too.
The power of love and holy spirit sends to you.
I am the crazy planner girl 😅 I run it in home hair salon so I have to live by booking ahead.
What I do is before every season I look at my appointment book and I block out chunks of time to do fun activities. I don't always designate which activity will be done in that time but I block it out and no when it comes closer I could fill that time with what we want (ie, baked cookies and go look at Christmas light, see Santa ,ect.)
Then as it gets closer if it's something that I actually need to book and schedule I will do that.
My issue is really wanting to know the plan ahead of time, but not wanting to be the one planning and making the decisions myself. 😅
Missed you! Glad you are feeling better! I related to this entire video! Thank you for sharing! 🫶🏼
Wow, I hear you. I look at my 10 year old and wonder we’re the time has gone. Then I think about how fast the next 10 years will go and I cry. She will be 20 before I know it. God help me slow down and enjoy the kids while they are still with me!
Omgoodness happy
Birthday kids and happy anniversary momma and CR
Planner tip here 😆
Use your apple calendar and make a new calendar for each category in your life or in your case kid and give them all a different color (consistency is key here) you can add contacts to that specific calendar (But sit with that person and make sure they are really being added, past experience warns you) they too can add events and edit things and you both can see what’s going on. Doing this at first is super annoying and time consuming but once it’s in place, events/life won’t sneak up on you.
BUTTTT!!! Every event that gets put on your calendar gets an assigned calendar category and if it’s an event that happens often, take the extra minute to put it on repeat with the end date. If it’s not assigned a calendar, the people who need to see it won’t and things start getting messy. Again consistently is KEY!
PRO TIP! Add the little sq calendar widget to you phone home screen, so you can see at a quick glance what’s going on. My husband and I share most of the calendars but I keep things like “birthday” to myself. But it’s nice bc when someone asks you “hey do you want to get dinner next week?” You can look real fast and see what day/time you’re actually free.
Typically at the beginning of each month I look over the new month to see if anything big is happening. And I like to look on Sundays for the new week since we’re always adding things on.
Can you tell I’m passionate about planning 😂
As a mostly non-planner, just reading those instructions causes anxiety. My husband would love it though.
It is very hot here also…blinds closed, etc. here too!! Plants suffering, no horseback riding etc.
Benjamin is so grown!!!!
Great video!! Angie I love your hair. Color and length. Your kids are so lucky to have you and your husband for parents. I was an only child and would love to have had a family like you. Would love to see Lottie again soon. As well as an update on all the animals!
Bengi saying he is 16 was absolutely hilarious…so cute.
I have 2 big month white boards on my wall and then add all future big things to the blank space on the right. Not like birthdays but stuff I will forget like a special test, party, activity. I do have a planner but I only plan 1 month of homeschooling in advance on thay
Benjamin and Rosie are soooo grown up omg and the twins! It’s too much 🥲🥹
Benjamin is so funny😂. Rosie is 12 already!! And the twins 6!🤯
I plan WAY far in advance because it keeps my anxiety down. The ski vacation in February 2024? Booked. Son’s ski pass for ski team, already purchased because the price goes up after Labor Day. I try my very best to plan in advance as much as possible. There is a dinner that my husband and I go to every December and the tickets go on sale August 31st. If I try and buy any later they are sold out. Planning ahead just saves on anxiety.
We bought tickets for the Polar Express in Bryson City and some of our tickets were spread out but only adults would be by themselves we had enough tickets for the kids to be with adults. I think it was a week or two before and they canceled our reservation because we were spread out and they wouldn’t let you sit with “random people” like that because it could impact the experience of the other passengers you would be sitting with. Needless to say it was very frustrating and of course by that point everything was sold out. So if you want to go make sure you book as early as you possibly can.
Weirdly i think im almost doing the opposite in adding more stuff into our HE/week days. Since covid i majorly parred things down and last year was our quietest and calmest. From at least September to December the kids are doing more. I'm going to see how it goes and if it isn't working i know i can just go back to less from January.
I hope you share your freezer dinners with us!
I'm very proud of you Angela
A gr8 way i plan ahead is buying things on sale tht i think would do for birthdays & / holidays
Always have cards in stock incase i forget its coming up to a birthday 😊
I try to aim to get all gifts bought month before event.
Likewise with holidays if i can buy shelf staple stuff the month b4 i do so.
Meal prep once a wk where i can n bulk buy food items when i can.
Activities/events r alot less stressful if i plan them out making sure i have at least 2 days either side of event to put it together n then rest after it! 😅 Xx
How are the kids so grown up?! All so beautiful and handsome ❤️❤️ happy Anniversary! Been around 118 heat index in Houston. Icky
Hi Angie - have you ever considered moving your big meal to noon on the days your kids have activities?
Got gifts for friends and family born Oct and Nov in August and July 🙈 But struggling with remembering a skin care routine for ex, because my head is in the clouds….
Same girl, same. I only have 2 kids, but I've been feeling like I putter around aimlessly too much. I'm making more detailed lesson plans (we are start our homeschool year on Monday) and I've meal planned until our big family road trip in September. It feels weird!
Our best Xmas experiences are booked up by Sept without a doubt. I blame covid. Xmas, concerts, even days out seem to have got crazy for this since then.
Sixteen, fourteen. Benjamin is so cute!!
My husband is always confused why I plan so far in advance then understands when I have whatever it is booked in advance and now it's sold out. I start early for everything so that by the time the event comes I just grab last minute items.
I’m sorry did you say Rosie is 12!!!! And the twins are 6?!?! BLESS IT! 😭
They’re all growing so fast
Happy birthday to you,
the twins and Rosie too... as well next month to the sixteen baby Benjamin boy.... ( we are still laughing )...!!😀🙋🙋♀🎂🍰🍾🍷🎉🎊...