The ABC's of Me: part1 A-E

Ok so lets do something fun (you don't really have a choice unless you stop reading now 😊) so we can get to know one another! The teacher in me has decided to go with the ABC's of me:

A is for Alma Mater: I am so proud to say I'm a Butler Bulldog! Go Dawgs!

B is for boys: I have two boys which make me crazy, smile, laugh, cry and a million other things in a matter of minutes! Cole is about to be 14 and going to be a freshman in high school next year (No, I'm definately not old enough for that!) and Caleb is 9 and going into 4th grade next year. They keep us hopping, but I wouldn't have it any other way -at least not most days 😛

C is for coffee: Gotta' have a cup before anyone begins messing with me! Love me a nice Starbucks Non-fat Skinny Vanilla Latte whenever the day is a little rough! Not an addiction just a nice treat!

D is for Dallas: Nope, not Texas! Golden retriever! Dallas is our 75 lb bundle of blonde fun! He's 4 1/2 years old and the best dog ever! Really he is!! 

  

E is for educate: Which is what I do! Three years ago I decided to go back to school and get a teaching degree-actually two of them! In December of this year I will finally be legal to teach Elementary Education and Special Education. For three years I worked in special education in the elementary, but this last year I switched to middle school and I can't believe how much I LOVE it! 

Now that you know a little more about me it's time to share...tell me about yourselves!

Organizing a houseful of BOYS

If you live with more than 1 man  boy you understand exactly what I'm saying... no matter what the age; there seems to be an abundance of boxers left on the floor, toilet seats left up and things not put back in there place!

Some days I take a que from my friends at Fraggle Rock and "dance my cares away-worries for another day. Let the music play" but sometimes it just has to be addressed!

My boys are 14, 9 and 40 so I try to keep things simple and capable for all three to accomplish :)
"We make a plan plan plan" (those Fraggles were smart creatures ;)

First I have a magnet board where I put the daily chores for each person:

(cute board is a little DIY project I did myself.  Painted an old picture frame and added a sheet of super thin metal from Lowes and after about $2 I had my own magnetic board)

Second I have some jobs that are labeled as "work for hire" which will have a payment attached to it if you choose to do it (really who wants to pick up the dog poo in the yard?!). Teenagers will usually work for money and this way I can get some things done by someone other than me for a change!

Next,  I've created a magazine holder for each of us; dad and I share one, and these are in the kitchen and easily accessible to all. This is where any important information goes; field trip info, class lists, sports schedules (because the calendar on the wall is never guaranteed to be right) and any other important information needed in the next month. At the end of each month they're cleaned out and the process begins again.

 

Lastly, I've made our family a "What's for Dinner" board so that everyone knows what's for dinner each night of the week. This is a great help for the grocery shopping each week as well as helping with all the "what's for dinner?" questions from the family! I've created cards with most of the foods we have for dinners plus a few that say "eat out" for those special meals! On the back of each card are the ingredients needed for the meal! 

 

These are things that seem to be working for now, but I'm always needing some more help! What are some ideas that you use to help your home run smoothly  smoother?! Please Share!!