Track your Birthday Milestones and Gift List Easier with FREE Printables

When my kids were little we only had to keep track of the 7 birthdays of our immediate family. As they kids all married and had children, 7 turned into 30. What a delightful problem to have, right?

I have a pretty good memory. I've added these dates to many calendars over the years, but I started to forget how old each grandchild was and what year they were born. 

Yikes! I might miss a milestone birthday. I like being prepared ahead of time for the milestones. We celebrate every birthday, but we have traditions at certain birthdays, like blessings, baptisms, ordinations, acceptance to Hogwart's, etc.

On the Birthday Milestones page I write the name and birthdate complete with the year, then add their age in every year column. Then I highlight the milestones. That way I know how many milestones to prepare for in that year.

On the Gift List page I include the ages to remind me to find age-appropriate gifts as well as the milestone gifts. On this page I list all of the birthdays in order of the month they fall in, kind of like a perpetual calendar.

I list the birthdays in order and leave a couple of blanks in each month for additions to our family. I think we are done having new grandbabies but I have room for surprises.

You can also use the gift list page for Christmas. It's never too soon to plan.

Give it a try and see if it helps you. Remember, you can always access all of my printables in the Library of awesomeness (aka FREE printables) by subscribing to my blog. You will get the link in your welcome email.

Always,

9 Magic Ways to Make Time for Journaling

I think we can all agree that life is messy, crazy, busy and sometimes magical. We all have the same 24 hour allotment in each day. So here are some ways I have found to make time for

my favorite things:

• Reduce and Simplify--I bet you've heard that before. Look at your daily routine and choose where you can eliminate the unnecessary clutter in your schedule. Give yourself permission to say, "no."
• Don't make things harder than they have to be by overthinking and worrying about stuff you can't change. Somehow it will all work out.
• Prioritize your to-do list into must do's, should-do's and bonus time (you never know, you might just find 10 whole minutes to yourself).
• Focus, don't let yourself get distracted. 
• Delegate chores whenever possible. When I went back to work full-time, we taught our 5 kids, when they turned 8 years old, how to do their own laundry. This is a survival skill they will be able to use the rest of their lives! 

  

  This is daughter number 3 when she was 8.

  She grew up to be the daughter that shares my profile pic.

• Make chore time fun by turning it into a game or competition.  Race against a timer to see who can finish small chores first and award a privilege or a fun family outing.
• Save time on meal prep--use your crockpot whenever possible.   
  
• Try make-ahead freezer meals. One cook day can yield a month's worth of dinners that you can put in your crockpot.
• Plan your errands and shopping trips and group them together. This saves time and gas. Make your menu and shopping list ahead of time. Group the items on your list by location in your favorite store so you're not running back and forth (most of the grocery stores in Utah are huge and take up a few city blocks).
• If you think of something you want to journal but haven't got the time, use a sticky note as a reminder and put it on the page where you want to post it as a place holder.
• Always keep your journal with you so you can utilize those small snippets of time waiting at the doctor's office, or in carpool lines. You can also use your notes section on your phone if you need. And yes, you can put your whole journal on your phone.

Happy Journaling,

Time and Season

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, right? Theoretically, that is true, but to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. ~Ecclesiastes 3: 1

Time management looks differently, now that I am a grandma, compared to when I was a young mom of five busy kids. I have more time to myself, but it seems to zip by so much faster.

I'm not an expert, by any stretch of the imagination, but here are a few things I've learned that might help in whatever season you find yourself.

• Reduce and Simplify your life. De-clutter wherever possible.
• Take stock of your daily routine--eliminate the unnecessary. It's ok to say no sometimes.
• Do the 'have to dos' first. My mom always said, "Work first, play later."
• Delegate whenever possible. Teach your kids to be responsible for their own chores. Make it fun. Time yourselves and see what you can get done in 10 or 15 minutes, then reward well, not in food, but with a privilege, or a fun field trip together.
• Combine trips--saves time and gas.
• Utilize small snippets of time when you have to wait (carpools, doctors offices, etc).
• Always keep pencil and paper handy to collect quirky characters, bits of dialogue, different speech patterns, and sensory details.
• Use spare time to sort out plot details, ask the 'what if', 'why', and 'what next' questions.
• If you have a smartphone check your emails or update your blog.
• Learn ways to save on meal preparation.
• I love my crockpot for this very reason. I can set it, forget it, and continue working.
• Make ahead freezer meals. A one day time investment can yield a month's worth of dinners. All you have to do is thaw and cook or throw it in your crockpot.