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As it is with many families today, my family seems to always be on the go. For us, the fall is the busiest when we all go back to school and soccer season is in full-swing. For your family, it may be wintertime if you have any hockey players or gymnasts or it may be springtime if you have any baseball players or golfers. Whatever your busy time seems to be, there never seems to be enough of it to get it all done.

Tonight we went to “pick” our pumpkins from the farmers market instead of the pumpkin patch. We didn’t have time (at least we didn’t think we did) to actually go to the pumpkin patch and find our pumpkins in the field. In actuality, we didn’t use our time together on the weekends wisely and missed the opportunity.

If we had planned ahead, we could have made the time to go to the pumpkin patch instead of busying ourselves with yard work, laundry, or other chores around the house. I realize in the grand scheme of things, missing a trip to the pumpkin patch really isn’t a big deal. Although it could become a big deal if our busy schedules continue to take over our weekends and instead of missing out on just one event, we miss out on all of them.

Time together as a family is precious. What I’m trying to do is create opportunities to make memories that are as special to them tomorrow as they were today. Yard work and chores don’t count.

The Family Planner was created for my family to help keep track of upcoming activities we don’t want to miss out on anymore. Since I enjoy creating these printables so much, I decided to create a few more to simplify and organize other areas of our life. The After-School Checklist is one I have used for awhile and decided to include it in this planner as well as a blank copy for you to personalize.

1.  Seasonal Planning Guides

As mentioned earlier, if I had made a plan we could have made the time to do what is important to our family. We could have mapped out our September and October to include time for the special events we like to do, and even make time to experience something new. Each season brings new opportunities; celebrations, festivals, carnivals, concerts, sporting events, and more. The idea is to make the time to do what your family enjoys the most.

The irony to this post is that I absolutely need to have some down time in my life and can’t function when I am always on the go. I often protest at the mention of going out on a Friday night after working all week. However, after tonight, I realized that I absolutely must make time to make memories. No excuses.  Time to prioritize.

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2. Alone after School

The next two printables, the After School Checklists, were developed out of necessity.

My husband had telecommuted for over 3 years and our children were fortunate to come home from school with him waiting at the bus stop for them. When he decided to return to work outside of the home, our kids had to come home alone for the first time since they started school. Since this change occurred in spring, there was no chance they were getting into an after-school. program, all of those fill-up the summer before school even starts.

Since I teach, I was also able to get home shortly after they did. However, in the time that they were in the house alone, they had this checklist waiting for them on the fridge when they got home.

The list worked to help get them in a routine and gave them a sense of responsibility, and as we would tell them…being responsible helps to build trust.

It was (and still is) a nice life lesson. I have a completed checklist that worked well for my own school-agers and a blank one that can be customized for your own family.

3. Meals to Rotate

Meals to Rotate is for anyone who struggles to think of dinner ideas quickly. I use this to write down dinner ideas that are to be put in the monthly/weekly rotating schedule. In other words, they are dinners that everyone can agree on and I know they will eat. Win, win! I also write down the source of the dinner recipe, whether it’s a Pinterest recipe board or a cookbook, to eliminate having to figure out where I found the recipe in the first place.

4. Weekly Planner

Plan your week ahead or focus on one day at a time, the choice is up to you. Use this Weekly Planner to give your week focus and keep everything organized.

5. Birthday Planners

Organize your child’s next birthday party using these Birthday Planners. Keep track of what you’ve already accomplished and organize what still needs to be done before their big day. 

I hope you find these printable useful to you and your family. Please leave a comment below if there is a printable you’d like for me to create for you.

Thanks for stopping by!