Summer Weekly Planning Sheet:
- Print the color copy and brainstorm all the ideas that fit into each theme. This gives you a starting point on deciding what fun activity you have to look forward to each day. (That’s how I use it! Keep it on the fridge.)
- Laminate the page- or “hard-laminate” for about $2 at your local print shop- and use a dry erase pen to write out your specific action plan for the current week.
- Print it off and let your kids draw a picture of what each day might look like to them! It’s easy to memorize each day’s theme with the alliteration- and they’ll keep you accountable to go and DO when they’ve participated in that artistic way.
Reusable Family Packing List!!!
Oh my word… If there are only a handful of moms that end up using and loving this handy packing list as a result of this blog- then I’d say it’s all worth it. I REALLY love being able to refer to this every time we travel and think you will too. There are hundreds of items our family uses daily, and I really enjoy knowing we will be prepared for life away from home. What I love about it:
- The list is hard-laminated so it’s reusable and you can use a dry erase marker to write on it. ***To hard laminate it, you’d download the file, email it to your local print shop and ask that they hard laminate it. They may even be able to mail it to ya!
- This packing list covers all the aspects of traveling you need to plan for: weather, how many days/nights you’ll be gone, what to do with your home and other responsibilities while you’re gone, all the kids’ items, and even the car entertainment.
- Once I’ve literally “crossed off” sections at a time with my marker, I am able to focus on what’s needed next instead of continuing to stress about them!
Click here for the original article this printable came from: Cut Packing Time and Stress in HALF with These 5 Tips
Shoes Off Reminders:
I recently wrote a post about how we’re evolving to a “shoes off” home. For me, the biggest benefit I see from this is organizational: my kid’s shoes are -ideally- always in their assigned spot, tucked away for when we need them for all the Summer adventures! There are a million cleanliness reasons as well for this shift, but whatever your reason, you will need a reminder! We have two free, darling printables to encourage everyone to remove their shoes when they enter your home. Download them here and here.
Morning, Afternoon and Bedtime Routine Pack:
Summer is the perfect time to create your own structure. Without school and extra-curriculars directing your timeline, it is really important to create some kind of consistency to your day. Otherwise- life feels chaotic for children and adults alike. Decide what’s important to you and work on one or two routines at a time. These routines support a fantastic home environment for the growth of little humans.
Here’s what I like:
- These routines use one of Amy McCready’s biggest parenting tools from her online parenting course we love: Positive Parenting Solutions. Each routine is formatted so that “When” the children have done what needs to be done, “Then” we move onto the next thing.
- I love that the afternoon routine has a daily quiet time. Quiet time for mom is soooo important. Screen time has its place for us, like when I’m prepping dinner or otherwise need a break. Better still; I love building quiet, solo play into our daily routine for my kids that they can count on. It’s good for them, and mom gets more peace and quiet in the day. It’s so good for kids to have complete control on an environment of play for an uninterrupted time. My kids (ages 7, 5, 3) can usually do twenty minutes or so- and we definitely go in spurts of consistency. Full disclosure: we don’t use this afternoon routine to get to quiet time– I just try to do a quiet time after lunch each day- props to our site designer/curator Tiffaynee though- she’s the brains and beauty behind these printables!
- I love that the bedtime routine has stories at the end of each day, and early bedtime. Early to bed for my kids works really well for us. I would totally recommend moving toward that if you don’t already! Mom and Dad get time to themselves and the kids get the sleep they need. Want to know the trick that works for us to keep my kids in bed after tuck-in? We tell them “it’s important to get the healthy sleep you need. If you’re not getting that, we need to only eat healthy foods the next day. If we HEAR or SEE you after bedtime, then no treats.” I write myself a reminder, and hold to it! No fruit snacks, etc the following day if we have to warn them more than once. That motivates my kids pretty well!
- The illustrations are DARLING!
- These charts encourage the kids to put things back where they belong and they include family contributions. For more information on the why we believe in family contributions head here… and for your own family contribution chart- head here. I could go on and on why we love this system! Check them out!
Couples council agenda.
Summer gets really busy, and sometimes the connection with our spouse gets lost in the shuffle! Two things that make a big difference to us is 1) planning a simple weekly date & 2) a weekly “couple’s council”. We’ve created the perfect printable to help you have effective couples council meetings. Use it as a visual aid to remind you to have the meeting and cover the important topics. You could even take notes on it each week by making several copies or laminate it and use a dry erase pen. Click here to download it! (And click here to read more about my favorite Weekly Techniques to a Better Marriage).
I wish you the best this Summer! Hopefully these easy and free summer printables can help you have a blast this summer with your family and cut down on the stress!
Jennica
