Hijacked!

My blog series has been hijacked by our first week of homeschool and the attempt to reorganize my world to fit our new needs. I have some friends who recently asked if I would share my basic organizational techniques. These are not the best you've ever seen- they are just what happens to work for me. With that in mind, I have a few things I depend on everyday to keep things running smoothly. I don't freak out if the schedule doesn't fit us perfectly everyday. Motherhood forces adaptability! This is long b/c I'm actually posting my real usable lists... More later...

Menu plan
This is a super simple idea I picked up from Paula Miller, my good friend and homeschooling mother of five. This is just the supper plan. I have a simpler one for the kids' breakfasts and our lunches...

Menu 1 (S)roast dinner, (M) leftovers, (T) grilled chicken, (W) spaghetti, (Th) homemade Chinese, (F) date night, (S) soup, sandwiches
Menu 2 (S) chicken casserole, (M) leftovers, (T) steaks, (W) hotdogs, (Th) seafood, (F) breakfast, (S) new recipe
Menu 3 (S) roast, (M)leftovers, (T) chicken piccata, (W) hamburgers, (Th) homemade Chinese, (F) date, (S) new recipe

*I just rotate through these. Most families have a selection of meals they eat over and over anyways, but I flex it if I want. Wednesdays I keep simple b/c I teach those days. This also allows me to know EXACTLY what I need to keep on hand.

I also have a pantry and frig checklist I printed out and keep taped to the inside of the pantry door. That way I can just glance over it and it helps me think, "Oh, yeah, we're out of that." This is what that looks like for me (the format is probably going to mess up here...)

Pantry Checklist
 Oatmeal (steel-cut & quick-cooking)
 Macaroni
 Chinese rice
 Spaghetti noodles
 Bread crumbs
 Cereal
 Chips
 Popcorn
 Ritz crackers
 Saltine crackers
 Graham crackers
 Peanut butter
 Jelly (strawberry, grape)
 Honey
 Salad dressings
 Mayo, ketchup, mustard
 Soy sauce
 Evaporated milk
 Sweetened condensed milk
 Pumpkin
 Green beans
 Spaghetti sauce
 Cream of chicken
 Cream of mushroom
 Canned tomatoes
 Chicken noodle, other soups
 Self-rising flour
 All-purpose flour
 Granulated sugar
 Brown sugar
 Confectioner’s sugar
 Cake mix
 Brownie mix
 Sugar substitute
 Napkins
 Paper towels
 Ziplocs
 Sandwich bags
 Aluminum foil
 Saran wrap
 Parchment paper
 Plastic utensils, cups, plates
 Kitchen trash bags
 Ice cream shell
 Spices/Herbs
 Kosher salt
 Peppercorns


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Refrigerator Checklist
 milk
 orange juice
 lemon juice
 eggs
 margarine sticks
 tub butter
 applesauce
 syrup
 condiments
 cheese
 fruit
 salad greens
 garlic
 onion
 potatoes
 yogurt
 sour cream
 cottage cheese
 bacon
 deli meat
 baking soda


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Freezer Checklist
 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
 whole chicken
 fish cuts
 shrimp
 ground chuck
 chuck roast
 steaks
 cube steaks
 ground turkey
 bread
 English muffins
 Chocolate chips
 Coconut
 Chicken broth
 Frozen peas, butterbeans, corn, etc.
 Popsicles (summer AND winter- for little busted lips)
 Ice cream
 Coffee
 Juice concentrate



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