Anyone still there?

Well, I took a pretty long break from blogging. I am not totally sure what I want for this blog or where I want it to go, but I'm going to work on creating a space that I can be proud of.

I'd like to work on sharing some of the things that I use to make my family life, school life and craft life more organized and successful. 

What kinds of things might you all be interested in seeing shared? What would be useful for you?

How to start a Capsule Wardrobe without stressing

Oxford Button Down

It's all over pinterest, heck, I have a preeeeetty awesome board about capsule wardrobes, you can check it out here.

But for a lot of people, it's really overwhelming to think about getting the whole thing started! I mean, for real, less than 30 pieces for ..... how long?!? What about laundry?? How do you have clean clothes?? What?!?!

In light of that, I thought I'd share my secrets of how I made it work for me.

1. Pick out your favorites!!! Don't worry about the season, just your favorites!! Here are 3 of mine!


Banana Republic Button Down Oxford


















Liz Claiborne Navy Blue Jacket

Old Navy Black and White Stripped Dress














2. What do you LOVE about these items? (And yes, you can definitely have more than 3 favs!)
I love pockets on dresses, though that Old Navy one does not have pockets.
I love to feel comfortable in my clothes.
I need my clothes to be wash and wear.
I love good quality.
I love and need to be able to move easily in my clothes when I'm working.

3. Pick out the things that you like to wear with those favorites.

Do you have 5 outfits? Could you make 5 outfits easily?

4. Now get the items you'd need for after work, bed, working out, gardening, etc.  But follow those same 3 rules; favorites only, things you love, and whatever else you need to finish the job, maybe a jacket for running when it's cooler or pj bottoms that go with a favorite top, etc.

5. You should have around 30 pieces of clothing. If all of it is one season, you have the beginning of your capsule wardrobe! If it's not, see what else you need to finish off that season and try to only pick the items that follow your rules. Do you have something to wear for rainy weather? Do you have a hat for going to the beach or sunny days at a soccer game?

6. Once you have a season of clothes, pick your favorite shoes and accessories that coordinate with most of those clothing items.

You've made a capsule wardrobe!

Try and do it again for another season, or just add to what you have to create a multi-seasonal wardrobe.

7. Worried about laundry? Make sure you have 5 work outfits and 1 back up. If you can't repeat clothing items during the week, pick a monday outfit, a tuesday outfit, etc. Then repeat them each week slight variations of accessories. You only have laundry once a week, and your outfits are ready to go each week!

As a teacher, I have 5 outfits for each quarter of the school year. On Monday of Quarter 1 I wear the same thing each week. But, when quarter 2 comes, I switch to the next set of clothes. The kids (and teachers) don't really notice until around week 7 or later and by then it's almost over!

If you want to keep the other things to see if you need them, while you try it out, go for it.

I hope this has helped you venture into the world of capsule wardrobes! If you have other suggestions for starting a capsule wardrobe, feel free to share in the comments below!

Clear and Precise Instructions

With 5 kids, a job and what I'd like to call a life, there is little room for miscommunication. I just don't have time to deal with incorrect instructions for filling out forms, signing up for things or missing out because we just didn't know.

It seems that this is a necessary fact in nearly all aspects of my life. I think it's why I appreciate lists so much.

So, today, here are a few ways to improve communication skills in your own life.

I think you might recognize these....

1. Who? Who do you intend to involve, or for that matter, exclude. For example, if your child gets an invitation to a party, do not assume that all of the children are invited. If it is a friend hosting and you feel comfortable asking, ask. If not, you have 2 choices; either ask or don't ask. If you ask, be prepared for them to say no, it's their party. If they say yes, great! Proceed as necessary. If you are the host, make your mind up ahead of time and invite who you intend to.

2. What? Make sure you give and get clear instructions regarding what is expected of you. It is much easier for everyone if you clarify for yourself whatever you don't understand. The moment you think of a question, it is time to clarify to make sure you proceed forward correctly. This makes everything better.

3. When? How do people ever do anything spontaneous anymore? I have no idea! Because I always have a when. When are you arriving, when am I arriving, when do I need to leave my house to be on-time? Am I perfect at this, HECK NO! I have 5 kids, you silly person. But, I know when I needed to be there... Double checking date, day of the week and time are all important!

4. Why? Well, I should hope you have not arbitrarily agreed to do something without knowing what it was, but the purpose is still important. That said, understanding the purpose of your event will have a direct effect on number 5 in this list...

5. How? How should you dress? How should you act? How should you expect your children to act? All of this is answered in understanding how this thing, whatever it is, is about to go down...

6. Anything else? You don't always have to understand anyone's reasoning for doing anything. But you should know if you are expected to bring plates and napkins to a party. These details are important to more than just you. Check on them.

If you get through these items and you are still unclear about what is going on, maybe you need to call your host, the friend, or possibly, your boss. It's only kind to make sure that everyone is on the same page. As you continue to do these things, you will become better prepared for events and more and more people will (we can only hope) quit thinking that mom = mindreader....because it doesn't. But asking these questions and knowing what is expected of us, will help us all feel better about meeting any of the expectations laid out for us.

Keep it up my friends, you're doing great!

What's for dinner? And breakfast and lunch and dessert

Fall break has begun at my house and with it comes LOTS of cooking. The list of recipes in this post will be MUCH longer than usual. You may want to par down if you have a busy week. If not, if love to hear how these recipes turned out at your house!!!

Breakfasts: We have a supply of biscuits, bagels and cereal for the week. Let's keep it simple.

Lunch: Chicken salad, Egg and Avocado Salad, Lunch meat, PB & J or leftovers.

Sunday: I'm hoping to kick our week off with some snuggles, a movie and tortellini soup. We're going to try out making freezer ice cream too!!

Monday: My husband is on the road for a photo shoot, so tonite is meatball stroganoff and country salad, since he doesn't really like it. And why not make an apple pie, but we use a freezer dough instead of making raw dough, to (hopefully) go with the ice cream from last night. 

Tuesday: oven fried chicken, spinach, macaroni and cheese and we're going to try the Martha Stewart chocolate cupcakes. 

Wednesday: By this point, I'm expecting to be a little worn down in the kitchen so this is going to be a simple taco night and as a surprise to my husband, we'll be making a chocolate chip pound cake! This recipe is a labor of love that is so tasty! 

Thursday: This is one of my favorite meals, especially when there are lots of leftovers; baked potato bar! This is a great one for entertaining too; pull out lots of toppings or have friends bring their favorite and set out a bowl of baked potatoes. Cut them in half and allow everyone to dress them as they like. So yummy!

Friday: Dinner out with family

Saturday: I'm hoping by Saturday we have cleaned our house or most of it, so we'll be ordering a pizza for sure! 

What does fall break look like at your house?

No recipe shared for macaroni and cheese because I'm wanting to know what your favorite recipe is!! Share in the comments!!

No grocery list this week, to encourage you to pick and choose what you'll make!

Cheers to a great week!

Before you write a meal plan...or any plan.

It may seem a bit out of order, that last week I would write about how to write a meal plan and this week, I'd write what to do before you write a meal plan...but hear me out!

If you have just started meal planning, it may feel daunting. You may have struggled before and only jumped back in because I suggested it. That's ok! There are always challenges when we are learning new things. Below are some recommendations I have for next week when you sit down to plan your meals..

1. Look in your kitchen!!
Do you have 15 cans of diced tomatoes? Let's plan some recipes that will USE the diced tomatoes! Try to make sure you have at least 2 meals that include half of the ingredients that are already in your house. It will make you use what's there and not build up a giant pile of food that needs to get eaten sitting next to a pile of leftovers that need to get eaten.

2. Make room for leftovers.
If you plan a meal for every night, you will not be able to eat ALL the leftovers! Unless your family eats every bite of every thing that you make,  there is going to be food left. Throwing it away is not economical and you can't always finish an entire lasagna for lunch! With that in mind, leave space in the schedule for a leftover night. Is it the most fun? Probably not. Practical though?

3. Build up to it.
You are not going to be on Master Chef tomorrow. I promise your children will still grow into normal functioning members of society even if you use a microwave! If you'd like to have some veggies and frozen is more practical than fresh, go with it. It's cool.

4. Make habits.
Have you noticed in your own life that you have patterns and habits? Maybe you take 3 sweet-n-low in your coffee? Swiffer the floors on thursday? These are patterns and habits. If they work well in other parts of your life, why would you not incorporate them more often? I try to do some meal prep for the next night, while I'm working on the current meal. Sometimes I even get farther ahead than that.

5. Create patterns.
Some call them theme nights, I call them patterns. My children know to expect chicken mid-week and to expect Italian-type meals on Monday. I tend to grill on the weekends and every 3-4 days, we tackle leftovers. Whatever works, you decide, but look for the things that make the process easier, not harder!

Happy Meal Planning!!

Tuesday equals second monday?

I don't know about you, but the start of school for 3 of my children and teaching takes a lot out of a person. There are days that I feel like I'm really on the ball and on top of things, and then there are days that I feel mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. Do you have those days?


Since losing my mom, I spend a lot of time feeling like something is missing in my life. And there is, it's my mom. That's not news. I don't know if that feeling is ever going to go away. Some people say that the pain of losing someone you love will not be as strong as time goes on, I'm not sure if that is true or not. While I can talk about my mom with friends, family, my students, even strangers, without getting all teared up, I don't miss her less. Maybe I'm more comfortable with the loss than when it first happened?

Right now, I'm having a hard time. Not only am I missing my mom and having some general morale issues with being a teacher, I'm actually and acutely jealous of my friends right now as a result of my life choices. Please do not think I am say I regret my children. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that I'm looking at my friends who have one or two children and I'm remembering the simpleness of that compared to where we are now and I'm missing the more simpler part of my life. I'm sad for my friends who are struggling to get pregnant. I truly do not understand why I can get pregnant so easily and they cannot. How is that fair? What is it about my family that makes it so that I lose so many people I love in such a short time, and have 5 children without much effort? Why do my friends get to watch their parents grow VERY old and I don't? Why do I get to have 5 kids and some of my friends can't have even one? How does that make sense? Some people say it's G-d's way, but that leaves me feeling lost. So, I'm not sure what the answer is and that frustrates me.

Some people read my blog or see me in person and think that I have it all together. Please believe me when I say, that I so don't. I work hard at a few things that are important to me and I make the required effort at the others. Organizing and planning are things that I enjoy doing. Checklists make me feel like I am in control of the situation I am in, even if I'm not. I do not have a clean house, but I have a clean classroom. My space is organized at school because it is more conducive to learning and a fast-paced environment. My home is slightly more chaotic because I do not have imminent domain. My kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, well, my whole house; is not immaculate, but my children are well fed, they have clean clothes, they are bathed and they are loved.

Is it perfect? No. 

Does it work for us? yes.

For now, let's celebrate each other's good things. I'm going to try to be grateful for my kids today. I'm going to try to look for a silver lining and work on cleaning my house this afternoon, since I carved out some time to do it. I'm going to share with a friend who isn't getting pregnant, how much I love her. Will I be able to fix it for either of us? Probably not, but I'm hoping a coffee and a hug will let her know I care about her. Hopefully, cleaning a room, with my checklist and hugging my friend will help us both.

The home stretch

It always feels to me that the week leading into a break; fall, spring or summer, feels hectic and chaotic and stressful.! As swim season gears up and extra-curriculum activities get moving for all our school children (that count is now 3/5).  This week is no exception for us, after school meetings, swim practice and HOMECOMING at my school are all happening this week! Our house is only getting busier!!!

Today was day 2 of my daughter's swim meet, my son had Hebrew class at religious school and due to the rainy weather here, my daughters had limited play space at the swim meet. But, as a testament to what an amazing community our swim family is; my girls got in plenty of indoor and outdoor supervised play time because they are loved by sooo many people. I'm so grateful for all of those men and women. 

Here's the plan for this week: 

Sunday: We're headed to my uncle's house for dinner. We get to hear all about how my brother is doing and China! 

Monday we have a swim meeting and dinner so we will be eating out! (Whew, no dishes!)

Tuesday: We have a busy night tonite so we're grilling chicken breasts and hot dogs, making potatoe wedges and Country Salad. 

Wednesday: cheesy chicken and rice casserole and steamed broccoli 

Thursday: This is the homecoming game for my high school, which means we are tailgating with the faculty and their families! Favorite tailgating recipe is homemade corn dip. What's your favorite homemade tailgate recipe? Make sure to share it in the comments below! 

Friday we are having dinner out with my parents since they're going to be in town! First time in a while! And another night with no dishes!!! 

Saturday: (Happy fall break!!!) I'm hoping to start getting some yard work done today, which means I'm planning a make-up on the grilled Brauts and veggies. If you had yours, maybe tonite is the night to try grilled cheeseLTs? It's a grilled cheese with bacon and an extra piece of bread to dress the BLT part! A bit much, but so tasty! We had ours with homemade potato wedges. 

Here's the grocery list for your shopping! 

And best wishes to you all for a great fall break! May it be restful and useful and everything you and your family needed! 

How to write a meal plan

Are you someone who says "I don't understand or I can't write a meal plan"? Do you wonder how others "stay organized"?

I find that this is something I am really good at. I can make lists, plan parties and organize spaces quickly, efficiently and (usually) get it done inexpensive. Here are a few of the tips I have for getting started on writing a meal plan of your own.

1. Make a list of things your family likes to eat.
If no one likes beef, don't include beef in your meal plan. You'll end up buying, cooking and storing leftovers of a food that will not be consumed and will go to waste. That's not beneficial.

2. Pull some recipes or look through some books or the internet for things you'd like to try.
Have you been pulling recipes from magazines and printing them off the internet because they sound good? Let's make a couple of them!

3. Get out your calendar!
Intuitively we know it is a bad idea to plan a 4 course meal on a night when all of your children have 15 things to do in 14 different places. But without our calendar, we might not know how our meals and our plans, line up.

4. Take it slow. 
Maybe just plan 2-3 meals and leave the other nights up to chance. See how it goes. I recommend that you write the meal on the calendar and put the title of the recipe next to it in your calendar. This helps you remember what comes each night and reminds you that you have an appointment with your kitchen. Going forward it may help that you have been recording this in case you are out running errands and need to get something for dinner that night or there is a change in the schedule.

5. Pick a day for grocery shopping.
The more consistent you get with meal planning, the easier it will get. The best way to be successful, is to have all of your needed ingredients when it's time to cook. It's frustrating if it is time to cook dinner and you need to run to the grocery for butter. In fact, it may make you not want to continue on the meal planning journey.

What other successes or suggestions do you have?

What other "How-To's" would be helpful to you?

Organizing ALL THE THINGS

A lot of people ask me "How do you do it all?" And I frequently answer, "I'm a walking Nike commercial... I just do it!" But, that is a terrible explanation. So, I'd like to give you one explanation about how I organize some of the things.

This year, I have grades, classroom things, Mock Trial, Youth-in-Government, Softball and Swim Team to stay caught up on. For some this would seem like a truly daunting task and their desk might forever look like a tornado hit it...

Not to say that this doesn't get overwhelming sometimes. It does. Some days I get frustrated and wonder why I feel like I'm doing more than everyone else.

But, most days, it's not bad, because it's organized and ready to go in a way that is accessible, fluid and easy.

My number one suggestion is for separating each major "thing" into it's own notebook. This way all the papers and spreadsheets and what-nots are in one location, not to be shared with anything else. Next is to keep the labeling clean and bright. This way it pops out and is easy to find. I like the clear front pocket for receipts for the students for those activities so that if I need to find it quickly, I can.

most of the notebooks of the things

I keep my checklist as the first page when I open the notebook and try to keep as much as possible in the rings and not in the pockets so that things don't get lost. I have a similar system at home for keeping things tidy there, as well. Hopefully this helps you in getting some things more organized in your classroom, home or office.

Erin Condren Planners

Many of you are already familiar with my OBSESSION with Erin Condren Planners. Which you can order on her website; www.erincondren.com

I have a few different items...

A life planner, shown above.

A desk pad...

And the teacher planned shown with my life planner in this pic. 

Personally, my biggest frustration is that the teacher planner comes with unnumbered calendar pages and too many pre-written pages that I can't opt out of. 

Both planners are beautiful, colorful and super helpful for those who need lots of space for writing things down. 

If you would like to get $10 off your first purchase of anything on the site; here's my link! Www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/rachelkannady

Follow the link, create your account and wait for the email with your $10 off code. It takes about 10-15minutes for your code to arrive!!!

Happy Organzing :)

Rachel

Checklist Thursday: The Everything Sewing Box

For Hanukkah, I got my daughter a complete sewing kit. Most people would probably just go to JoAnn's or Hancock Fabrics, find a ready-made kit and be on their way....but not me!

Sew, here it is, my checklist for the perfect Sewing Box...(for an 11 year old)

1. A box. My mother and grandmother had those really cool, old school wicker baskets...that no one makes anymore. I bought a curvy padded sewing basket from JoAnn Fabric and Gifts. Here's a link to a similar basket.

2. Scissors. And not just any scissors. At a minimum, there will be 3 different kinds.
Fabric scissors or dressmaker shears: These are good for cutting large amounts of fabric, stabilizer for applique and other fabric needs. They will quickly become dull however, if you allow them to be used for other things. Typically the blade is longer  (4-5" or more) and the handles are angled so that the blades stay flat on the table or cutting surface.

Embroidery scissors: These are very small and very sharp. They are best used for cutting small threads or little pieces of fabric in an applique. It is important that these scissors are strong and that they are kept sharp.

Rotary cutter: This is a circular blade on a wheel with a handle. It is designed so that you can cut a consistent, straight line without stopping. Again, the blade needs to be kept sharp and the rotary cutter should be stored safely away from small children, as it is easier than the other two scissor types, to cut yourself.

3. Needles. There are three kinds of needles that should be stored in a sewing box to call it a basic sewing box.

Machine needles: There are lots of brands and lots of sizes of machine needles out there. It is important that if your machine only uses a particular brand of sewing machine needle that you get that brand. Otherwise, I prefer the singer brand sewing machine needles. In terms of what size needle to get, that depends on your fabric/project. The project determines the needle size. this means that with lighter weight fabrics you will use a finer needle gauge and with heavier fabrics, you will use a larger needle gauge.

Hand sewing needles: These also come in different sizes, different guages and different lengths, they are all intended for different projects, fabrics and threads.

Head needles or straight pins, whatever name you want to use, either way, these are the straight needs that you use to pin your fabric as you work. It is a tedious and annoying part of any project, but oh, so necessary. 

4. Thread; comes in as many colors and thicknesses as you can imagine!

5. Cutting board, any style will do. But make sure you include one. These are very useful when using a rotary cutter. Most are self-healing, which means you can use them over and over again without them loosing their shape. It's handy to have so that the rotary cutter does not cut the table or some other surface.

If I think of other things, I will be sure to come back and add them.

If you think I left something out, feel free to add it to the comments!

Happy Sewing

Planning...over the top!

On Tuesday, I talked about how neurotic I am about planning...making detailed lists...knowing exactly what comes when, etc.

It's so much worse than you even know!

On Sunday, I got to meet Megan's (the girl whom Annie is having her Bat Mitzvah with) parents and her younger sister and brother. I had both babies with me, so it was rather eventful just trying to get in Starbucks. While we were there we had a great discussion about what our personal expectations were for the day, the things that we want to include and how we want the weekend to go.

I am very excited about how the morning went. We all seemed to have the same idea about how much money we were prepared to spend. And even better we are all on the same idea about keeping the weekend about the girls and about Judaism. We have a few things that have already been figured out and it all just seems to be going really well. 

It's still sad for me that my mom can't be a part of the day, but it is so heartwarming to me the number of my friends who have stepped forward asking to help and wanting to help. There's definitely going to be a lot of work to do, given the fact that we are trying not to spend a ton of money and go broke. I can't wait to see how it all works out, but I have to admit, I'm a little sad to see my baby girl grow up so fast.

Below I will put the list of all the things that I have outlined that have to be done....you may laugh. Just a warning; it's a little long...and you'll notice, we are waaay ahead of schedule, with a few things already done! Yeah!!!

2-3 Years in Advance

• Set the Bat/Bar Mitzvah Date DONE
• Book venue for reception DONE
• Determine theme DONE
• Determine a budget and set the priorities DONE

18 months in Advance

• If necessary, find a tutor for the bat/bar-mitzvah
• Determine the torah and haftarah portion for the bat/bar-mitzvah date and confirm with your Rabbi
• Begin thinking about potential Mitzvah Projects STARTED
• Meet with the Rabbi or Cantor to understand the bat/bar-mitzvah process and answer any questions you may have DECEMBER 9th
• Begin to work on a guest list.   Separate the list into “Must Haves” and “Nice to Haves”. 
• Book an Event planner to oversee details of the day DONE
• Consider DJ/Entertainment

1 Year in Advance

• Discuss the bat/bar mitzvah requirements with the Rabbi, including the timeline for completing the mitzvah project
• Begin (or continue) attending Shabbat services as a family
• Send out a Save The Date
• Reserve a block of rooms at a hotel for out of town guests
• Reserve a Venue for the reception
• Pick a theme for the reception and begin to think about decorations
• Book the Caterer
• Check with Temple that they are on the preferred list for the luncheon
• Make a decision whether or not to do something different for the reception
• Book the Music and Entertainment Vendors

9 Months in Advance

• Tutoring begins
• Select a Mitzvah Project
• Include food being brought to the luncheon the day of by the guests
• Determine if there are ways for the entire family to be more connected with the Torah portion and mitzvah project
• Order Invitations and Thank You Cards
• Vistaprint or some other online inexpensive vendor
• Or print/make ourselves?
• Book Photographer and/or Videographer
• Photographer: Laurie Coopwood Valenzula, Southern Style Photographer
• Videographer: Brian Knight, he does most of Temple’s work
• Florist and decor

6 Months in Advance

• Start Mitzvah Project
• Finalize the guest list
• Decide what enclosures need to be included with the invitation (maps, etc)
• Determine what other events your family will host (Shabbat dinner, Shabbat Kiddush, Havadallah, Sunday Brunch)
• Order any items that require customization, including kippot, party favors, sign-in boards

4 Months in Advance

• Discuss how to incorporate tzedakah into your event
• Bat/Bar-Mitzvah begins writing the dvar torah
• Shop for Clothes and Shoes

3 Months in Advance

• Finalize the guest list for all events your family is hosting
• Address the envelopes, or have a calligrapher address them
• Go to the post office to have the complete invitation weighed and purchase the appropriate stamps
• Order a Cake
• Penny: who did you mention?
• Plan the menu for the reception
• Arrange for the rental of party supplies not supplied (chairs, dishes, etc)
• Sarah beth offered to let us use for free brown table cloths as long as we fold and wash
• We discussed having burlap runners with their names on them
• What do you guys think of using the baskets from the luncheon to hold bags of trail mix or baggies of smores ingredients, etc on the tables at the reception?

2 Months in Advance

• Mail invitations.  Be sure to check the weather report to avoid rainy days
• Select who to honor with aaliyot and get their Hebrew names
• Parents should work on parents’ speech or blessing
• Finalize centerpieces (including flowers for the synagogue service), décor, and favors
• Centerpieces for lunch tables: baskets for donated food
• 2 bunting banners; one for each girl
• Favors: www.discountmugs.com for stadium cups
• Finalize the entertainment for the party
• Make a draft of the seating chart
• Make hair appointments for family
• Work on the ceremony programs
• Begin ordering supplies and compiling local information for gift baskets for out of town guests
• Arrange for Transportation of family and/or guests, if necessary

1 Month in Advance

• Meet with the DJ and Entertainers to pick songs and games?
• I’m not sure this is necessary, but this is where it was on the time line J
• Bat / Bar mitzvah should finalize the dvar torah and write a thank you speech if necessary
• Arrange for a rehearsal in the synagogue sanctuary
• Confirm party timeline and schedule with all vendors, including photographer, videographer, music/entertainments, and caterer
• Purchase any items not provided by the caterer (liquor, challah, etc)

3 Weeks in Advance

• Visit the tailor
• Make up toiletry baskets for the bathrooms
• Finalize ceremony programs, print and assemble

2 Weeks in Advance

• Confirm final headcounts
• Finalize seating chart, and write placecards (wait to fill in the table numbers until closer to the event if possible)
• Compose candlelighting introductions or poems

1 Week in Advance

• Drop off welcome baskets at hotel
• Have a rehearsal at the synagogue
• Finalize aaliyah list and give a copy to the rabbi or cantor
• Contact all event vendors for last minute details or questions
• Confirm all details are in place (food, decorations) for other events being hosted (Shabbat dinner, Kiddush, etc)

Bat/Bar-Mitzvah Day

• Relax and Enjoy the Day!

Post Event

• Give a donation to the rabbi, synagogue and/or other tzedakah options

Write and mail thank you cards