Hi, I’m Andrea, the Operations Manager here at TT2G! I handle most of the behind the scenes activities to keep things running smoothly. I’m also a mom, a wife, and I volunteer weekly with several local children’s programs, so there is always a lot to do each week! Here is a bit of a peek “behind the scenes” into my life.
My days are more of a flow than following a tight schedule. For me, getting my week heading in a successful direction means making sure I have my weekly planning session. I take time to plan for the week ahead on Sunday evening. Setting this time aside really helps me to start my week with a productive and positive mindset. When I get up Monday morning and don’t have everything planned and ready, it really impacts my whole week and I feel like I’m always trying to catch up.
Lesson Plans
We are a homeschool family, so the first thing I usually do is create lesson plans for my kiddos for the week. I pull out all their books and go subject by subject to see what we need to get done for the week. Then, I schedule it out around our supplemental activities like enrichment classes and field trips. I also include daily chores on each of their schedules so they know what they need to accomplish each day.
Over the years, I’ve tried several purchased student planners. None of them ever fully met my needs so I created my own in Excel. It includes the normal things like class subjects, days and some cute graphics. I really like that I can customize it for each child, adding in colors they like or clip art that reflects their interests and hobbies. As life changes I can tweak the layout or contents to better meet our needs. I’ve been using it for years and it works well to support us.
What’s up Week?
My husband and I both grab our good, old fashioned, paper planners and review what is going on for the week. We adjust things as needed so the kids can get to their activities and we can get to our appointments. I’ll add anything out of the ordinary into my calendar app and set reminders so I don’t miss them.
Meal Planning
I don’t spend a ton of time on this. The main goal here is to have a plan in place, not prepare a photo worthy meal every night, haha!! I have a recipe box that is sorted by main dishes, sides, soups, etc. Pretty much anything in the box is a family favorite. If it’s in the box and we haven’t made it in years, I’ll cull it out. I pull out all my “main dish” recipes and select a few for the week. I always leave one night open so we can do a fridge raid and use up any left overs. Then I’ll grab a Post-it, list the day of the week and the meal, and stick it on the side of the fridge.
If I have extra time, I’ll do a full-blown plan for a week or two that includes breakfasts and lunches too. I use an Excel spreadsheet that I created a few years ago. I can copy and paste meals so I don’t have to retype everything which is helpful. Occasionally we’ll try a new recipe on a Saturday evening when we have extra time to prep something. My kids usually initiate this, so it’s a family affair. Allowing the kids to pick recipes they want to try really gets them engaged in the process of meal prep.
Once I have my meals decided, I’ll add any items we need to purchase onto my grocery app. I love using a grocery app! My husband and I both have access to the list and it updates live, so whoever is doing the shopping knows what is needed. When my list is done, I’ll do a quick grocery trip so the fridge and pantry are stocked and ready to go.
Day at a Glance
I have a basic daily schedule that I try to adhere to. Reality is that I usually follow it rather loosely, but it helps to keep everyone moving toward our daily goals.
I try to get up early so I can have some quiet time to tend to my body and soul before everyone is up and the house is active. Next I’ll check in on work and take care of anything essential. After that, I take a look at what is on the schedule for the day, set any additional reminders I may need on my calendar app, and check in with my husband so we can update/remind each other with our schedule for that day.
Swirl of Activity!
The kids are usually awake by now. One of my kids likes to eat right away but the other one is never hungry. So, the kitchen is in use several times in the morning. Once everyone has their energy, it’s time for a few morning chores like unloading the dishwasher or folding any laundry from last night’s load.
Once that is complete (hopefully by 9am), we move on to bouncing between our daily responsibilities of school and work.
After lunch I’ll pull something out of the freezer to defrost for the dinner. Our afternoons are back to school and work. Around 5pm we do a quick trek through the house to tidy up and put things back in their place before dinner.
Winding Down
We always eat together as a family. It’s a great time to reconnect and get to focus on talking (and listening) to each other. The kids love it if we have extra time and pull out a board/card game. We have several games that are interactive and easy to play in 30 minutes. Taking time to connect on their level really maintains our relationship with them, which is vital at every age and stage.
We all help to clean up from dinner and do a few evening chores like sweeping and trash. Then the kids have some tv/tech time before bed. We tuck the kids in and pray with them….and the day is done!
I’d love to hear what you do to set your week up for success. Drop me a note in the comments below!
Keep going, keep growing!
Andrea