FREE 2014-2015 School Year Planner Kit

UPDATED!! And just in time for back to school! This planner set is great for any mom, teacher or student. This year I have added more pages to make a complete planner.

I must admit, I am an organization junkie. But I also like my organization to be stylish. So while I love planners, the standard stuff you can buy already put together just doesn't do it for me. Several years ago I found a few products and websites that changed my life!

The first were Circo products by Levenger. They offered a fully customizable notebook/planner system complete with removable pages, inserts, tabs and folders. You had the flexibility to add and remove pages like a 3-ring binder, but with the flexibility and portability of a standard spiral notebook. I later found that Staples offers a more affordable version called Staples Arc in stores that I recommend because you don't have to order online and they are cheaper.

Yet I still ran into one of the same old problems- their planner pages that they offered just didn't suit my needs either! That is when I found this awesome website called DIY Planner. This website has lots of templates to create just about any planner pages you could imagine, and in lots of different sizes to fit just about any standard planner cover. However, I do find the site and templates a little difficult to navigate. So I just figured I'd share the calendar and planner pages I created for myself and make it a little easier for our readers.

Below area few "must haves" for any organized mom or teacher for this school year. Click on the links below to download the pages.The first is a monthly calendar for the 20145-2015 school year.  You can easily put this into an existing planner, use the Arc system I mentioned above, or keep in a 3-ring binder. Next, I have weekly planner pages for the entire school year. The monthly calendar shows a brief overview, but the weekly planner pages are your true tool to keep everyone in your family on time to events and appointments.They have hourly slots for each day of the week to record appointments, games, practices and events. Finish it off with Notes Pages and a stylish Planner Cover and voila! Super organized for the start of the school year:)

Click on each link below to be taken to the pdf file. Just save on your computer and print.

2013-2014 School Year Calendar

2013-2014 School Year Weekly Planner Pages

Notes Pages

Planner Cover Page

Please stay tuned as I post all of my pictures of my actual family planner notebook with these calendar and planner pages!

The Disney Countdown is ON!

We are very excited to be counting down the days to our next Disney vacation.  When we reach our 30 day mark we have a tradition of hanging up our countdown calendar.  This isn't the only countdown we have going, but this one signifies we are getting CLOSE!  We (sort of) surprised the kiddos with this trip, we only told them we were going about 10 days ago.  We made this countdown together a couple of years ago and I keep it stored in a ziploc bag when we are not using it.  It is very simple.  We hang it on a magnetic chalkboard in our basement, but could easily be hung on the refrigerator or back of a door.

Supplies:

• Card Stock
• Magnet Tape

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Magical Mom's March Menu Madness

Now there is a tongue twister for you!  Every month I put together a menu for the following month.  It really helps me to stay organized.  I know that if I don't have something planned, we will spend way too much time (and money) trying to figure out what to have for dinner only to order take out of some sort.  Putting the menu together helps me keep track of how often we have something, but most importantly it helps me make my weekly grocery shopping list.  I challenge myself to put one new recipe in each week.  I use my friends, family, other blogs, cook books for inspiration.  Sherrie and I often bounce things off of each other.  I love that she can try a new recipe and tell me what she would do differently and vice versa.  I also like to add in a few things that I can make double of and freeze it to use for lunches, later in the month, or the following month.  I will explain my freezer cooking and preparation later.  First I gather all of my supplies to the kitchen island. I have two good old fashioned recipe boxes, a couple of cookbooks (including the latest from The Chew), my ipad, and a file folder with previous menus and ideas.  The second thing I do is ask my family for requests.  Next, I break down the main dishes into categories: Beef, Poultry, Pork, Fish, and Pasta.  Since I usually get only a few requests from my very indecisive family(another reason the menu is a must!) , I have to look back at previous menus, search the internet, talk to Sherrie (of course), and inevitably there are always a couple of things that I don't make from the prior month's menu because of scouts, sports, or other commitments.  Lastly, I just start filling in trying to make sure that like menu items are spaced apart enough.
I have included links to most of the recipes.  I will try to get caught up with the older ones and I will definitely add in the new ones along the way!

March 2013

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2
					Two- Step Perogies and onions, Caesar Salad	Herb Butter Steakhouse Steak, Sautéed Mushrooms, Almost Cut Potatoes, Loaded Potato Topping
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Slow Cooker Green Beans, Redskin Potatoes, and Ham	Puff & Stuff Chicken, Better than Rice-a-roni Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli	Honey I ate the Pork, Disney's Ohana Maui Scalloped Potatoes	Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with Mango Tango Salsa	Aunt Betty’s Chicken Noodle Soup, Ham and Cheese Calzone x2 to Freeze)	Crab Cakes, Oven Roasted Asparagus,Lawry's Potato Squares	Best Darn Pork BBQ, Connie's Coleslaw
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Slow Cooker 8 Spice Lemon Chicken, Simple Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese	Lazy Lasagna (x2 to Freeze), Garlic Bread	Chipotle Barbacoa Bowls with Cilantro Brown Rice and Corn Salsa	Ritzy Buffalo Mac and Cheese, Veggies and Dip	Grilled Chicken, Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, Honey Grilled Pineapple	Lemon Grass Skewered Shrimp, Rosemary pull apart bread	Spicy Bacon Carbonara
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Green (Cilantro Lime) Chicken Burritos	Cindy’s Baked Spaghetti, Salad	Creamy Garlic Ranch Pork Chops and Garlic Mashed Potatoes Corn	Mushroom Swiss Burgers, Garlic Herb Potato Wedges	Chicken Bacon Ranch Pockets, Salad	Family Movie Night Cheese Pizza, Connie's Caramel Corn	Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Steamed Asparagus
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Spicy Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches, Cucumber Salad	Maple Dijon Chicken, Steamed Broccoli	Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Flattened Redskin Potatoes	Crispy Crunch Oven Baked Tacos, Creamy Corny Rice	Mouth Watering Pot Roast, Carrots, Mashed Potatoes	Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi Pasta	Perfect Picnic Chicken Salad, Broccoli Cheese Soup
31 Easter
Brunch Menu Still to be Determined. Turkey Breast,  Grandma's Green Beans

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