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Guide ✼ Plan ✼ Check ✓

The Guide Plan Check ✓ download helps simplify some of the repetitive and time consuming

tasks that occur as normal part of daily family life.

Each page contains a guide, plan or checklist to be printed out and used over and over again. I

have left the pages clear of notes from me, so as to make them more functional. Below is a short

description of each page:

Pantry Basics Check List – You can use this list to audit your pantry before heading to the

supermarket, or place it in your pantry and tick items as they run out to build your shopping list as

you go. There is room at the end to add other items that you use regularly.

Freezer Basics Check List – As per pantry basics check list.

Fridge Basics Check List – As per pantry basics check list.

Monthly Menu Plan Template– Menu planning is easier when the whole family helps! This

template lets you gather ideas from the family and put together a monthly plan for the evening

meals.

Night Time Preparation Check List – A list of 10 tasks that if completed in the evening, will help

you have a smoother start to school mornings.

Back To School Check List – It can be difficult to get your head into school mode during the

summer holidays, but this check list takes the thinking out of it for you with activities you need to

complete, to be ready for sending the kids back to school.

Weekly schedule for mum – Creating a weekly schedule is about planning your known work

activities into the available time you have across your week. Planning out the activities allows you

to make sure you fit in the things that are most important to you and your family

Weekly schedule for kids – Examples and templates you can use to help kids organise

themselves for school in the mornings.

Children’s Tasks – Age Appropriate Guide – Reduce mum and dad’s workload and increase the

kid’s independence skills and self esteem by allocating age appropriate jobs to each child.

Family contribution schedule – An example and a template of how you can allocate household

tasks amongst the kids.

Wishing you the best in organising your family chaos!

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Pantry Basics Check List

This list contains items for gluten free and non gluten free cooking and baking. You may not require all of them depending on your needs.

Baking Cans Oil Entertaining

Arrowroot (tapioca flour)

Coconut Cream Coconut Oil Premium Quality Chocolate

Baking powder Coconut Milk Macadamia Oil Coffee

Bicarbonate Of Soda Tomatoes Olive Oil Popcorn Kernels

Bread Crumbs Tuna Vegetable Oil Tea

Chocolate Chips Dark Water Crackers

Chocolate Chips Milk Grains Pasta and Pasta Sauces

Chocolate Chips White Cous Cous Lasagne Sheets Nuts and seeds

Cocoa Rice Arborio Macaroni Almonds

Cacao nibs Rice Brown Passata Cashews

Cacao powder Rice Jasmine Penne Chia Seeds

Coconut Desiccated Rice White Spaghetti Coconut flakes

Cream Of Tartar Spirals Linseeds

Flour Coconut Herbs and Spices Tomato Paste Macadamias

Flour Corn Chilli Dried Pumpkin Seeds

Flour Plain Chives Dried Sauces and Condiments

Flour Rice Cinnamon Ground Chutney Dried fruit

Flour Self Raising Coriander Ground Soy Sauce (Tamari) Dates

Flour Wholemeal Cumin Ground Tomato Sauce Dehydrated apple

Marie Biscuits Curry Powder Vinegar Balsamic Dehydrated apricots

Marshmallows Ginger Dried Vinegar rice Dehydrated banana (no sulphite)

Milk Condensed Oregano Dried Vinegar White Dehydrated mango

Nutritional yeast Parsley Dried Dehydrated pear

Rice cakes Pepper Black Cracked Spreads and sweeteners Goji berries

Rice crumbs Salt Flakes Almond butter

Rice flakes Salt (Himalayan pink salt) Honey

Rice flour Taco Seasoning Mix Peanut Butter

Rolled Oats Thyme Dried Maple Syrup

Sugar Brown Rice malt syrup

Sugar Caster Tahini

Sugar Icing Vegemite

Sugar White

Vanilla Extract

Yeast

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Freezer Basics Check List

Baking

Vegetables (greens for

emergencies!)

Pastry Puff Peas

Pastry Short Crust Spinach

Broccoli

Meat

Bacon

Beef Diced Quick Meals

Beef Mince Pizza Bases

Beef Strips Veggie Burgers

Chicken Breasts

Salmon If You Can

Sausages Homemade Biscuit Dough

Left Over Bolognaise

Sauce

Fruits Left Over Casserole

Apple puree Left Over Soup

Bananas

Blueberries Misc (in ice cubes)

Mangoes Beef broth

Raspberries Chicken stock

Vegetable stock

Pesto

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Fridge Basics Check List

Dairy

Bacon

Butter

Cheese Mozzarella

Cheese Parmesan

Cheese Tasty

Cream

Cream Sour

Milk

Yoghurt Greek Style

Condiments

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Sweet chilli sauce

Miscellaneous

Fish oil

Kimchi

Sauerkraut

Coconut cream (in summer)

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Monthly Menu Plan

DATE MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Kids Activities:

Meal type:

MEAL TYPE IDEAS:

Breakfast for dinner Meals that dad and kids can

cook Roasts Stir fry

Bulk meal –left over’s for other meals or lunches

Meat and Veg Slow cooker meal Vegetarian

Homemade fast food - e.g. pizza, fish and chips, hamburgers

Quick meals (15 minutes prep or less)

Soups Wrap style meal

Notes: Weekend meals made in quantities to provide meat that can be used with lunches for both kids and adults. E.g. chicken schnitzel strips/sandwiches for the kids. Taco meat can be served with avocado and sweet potato hash for a lunch during the week. For more information on how to menu plan head to http://planningwithkids.com/2013/01/29/family-menu-planning-faq-and-monthly-menu-plan/

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Monthly Menu Plan

Family meal selection:

Mum Dad Child 1 Child 2 Child 3 Child 4 Child 5

These are guidelines for choosing meals:

Each family member can choose up to four meals for the month.

Each meal can only be on the plan twice in a month.

They can only choose one homemade fast food style meal per month each.

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Monthly Menu Plan

DATE MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Kids Activities:

- Aerobics &

Soccer training

Swimming Football training Aerobics Soccer x 2

Football

Football

Meal type:

Roast Make in the

morning

Slow cooker Stir fry Homemade fast

food

Wrap meal Meat & Veg

10th Aug

Roast beef Chicken lasagna SC honey sesame

chicken

Beef stir fry Hot dogs Sweet chilli chicken Sausages and veg

17th Aug

Roast chicken Shepherd’s pie +

greens

SC chicken noodle

soup

Chicken stir fry Fish and chips Tacos Schnitzel and veg

24th Aug

Roast lamb Mexibake SC butter chicken

and cauliflower rice

Moroccan minted

beef

Hamburgers Sweet chilli chicken Chicken wings and

veg

31 Aug

Roast pork Shepherd’s pie +

greens

SC Satay + greens Chicken stir fry Pizza Tacos Sausages and veg

MEAL TYPE IDEAS:

Breakfast for dinner Meals that dad and kids can

cook Roasts Stir fry

Bulk meal –left over’s for other meals or lunches

Meat and Veg Slow cooker meal Vegetarian

Homemade fast food - e.g. pizza, fish and chips, hamburgers

Quick meals (15 minutes prep or less)

Soups Wrap style meal

Notes: Weekend meals made in quantities to provide meat that can be used with lunches for both kids and adults. E.g. chicken schnitzel strips/sandwiches for the kids. Taco meat can be served with avocado and sweet potato hash for a lunch during the week. For more information on how to menu plan head to http://planningwithkids.com/2013/01/29/family-menu-planning-faq-and-monthly-menu-plan/

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Night Time Preparation Checklist

Task

1 Set Table For Breakfast

2 Prepare Lunch Boxes

3 Complete School Notices

4

Ensure Clean and Available

Uniforms/Clothes

5 Un-stack Dishwasher / Put Away Dishes

6 General Tidy

7 Empty The Bin/s

8 Check The Calendar

9 Make To Do List

10 Wind Down

Extras:

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Back To School Checklist

Task Details

Uniforms /

School Clothes

Organise and check school uniforms for size, appearance and faults.

Include a socks, underwear and hats!

Wardrobes Organise kids clothes storage so school items are easily accessible.

Shoes Check that shoes and are polished

Stationery and

Accessories

Ensure each child has the necessary items for school. Also take

advantage of the sales to have an inventory at home for high use

items like pencils, glue sticks etc.

Labels Ensure all school items area labelled.

Paperwork

Complete any paper work that needs to be returned to school. Make

a paperwork station, where kids know to bring and collect their

forms.

Lunch boxes

and drink

bottles Check lunch boxes and drink bottles are all functioning and clean.

Routines

In the week leading up to the first day of school gradually bring

children into their school evening and morning routines.

Transport

If you walk or ride to school, check that

scooters/bikes/helmets/prams are all functional.

If your children will be catching public transport for the first time,

have practice runs and print out timetables.

Groceries

Restock the pantry with all the required items to make school

lunches.

Goals Help the children set personal and academic goals for the year.

Extras:

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Weekly Schedule For Mum

The weekly schedule tells me what I am going to be doing each day, taking the decision making out of it. It

lets me run on autopilot, so all the essentials can get done without me having to spend time and energy

thinking about it. Of course there are days, when I abandon the schedule to do what I feel like at that point in

time. Plans are great like that. They make it easy to stay on top of things, but they are only plans which can

modified, changed and scrapped as needed.

To have a work schedule that will be useful I have worked out there are key things to consider:

1. Make sure it supports your goal/s.

2. Understand your current time use

3. Be realistic about how many hours a week you have

4. Consider days off

5. Know your productive times

6. Look for existing boundaries

For more information and tips head to http://planningwithkids.com/2015/02/27/create-weekly-schedule/

For an excel template to use head here http://planningwithkids.com/wp-content/2012/05/Planning-With-Kids-

Weekly-Schedule.xlsx

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Weekly Schedule For Kids

Each school term I put together a children’s timetable. The aim of the children’s timetable is to:

1. Show the children what their week’s activities are.

2. Allow children to take responsibility for having the right equipment on the right days.

3. Familiarise the preschoolers and early readers with their names, days of the week and other

commonly used words.

4. A reminder for mum about what activities she can play with the toddler and preschooler.

Click here to read more and download the free templates http://planningwithkids.com/2010/07/23/childrens-

routines/

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Children’s Tasks - Age Appropriate Guide

Age Tasks

2 – 4 year olds:

Aim is not for perfection, but to

begin learning to do things for

themselves and to contribute

to the running of the family

home. Will need assistance.

Take breakfast dishes away from table.

Make bed and tidy room.

Wipe and sweep up own messes through out the day.

Packing away of toys and general tidy.

Take condiments to table for evening meal.

Take own plate away from the dinner table.

Placing dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Return towel to bathroom.

4 – 6 year olds

The aim is to have the kids

knowing their routine of jobs to

help out and carry them out

without the need for reminding.

Some assistance may still be

required.

Return cereal boxes to cupboard after breakfast.

Pack kinder or school bag.

Unpack kinder or school bag and hand over any notices.

Setting place mats for dinner.

As required can help match up socks when laundry is being folded.

Assist in the garden with sweeping and raking.

6 – 8 year olds

The aim is to have children

now completing these tasks

independently.

Place milk and juice back in the fridge when breakfast has been completed.

Empty rubbish bin.

Set cutlery for dinner.

Put own laundered clothes away.

On weekends help make morning and afternoon tea.

Cook treats like scones and muffins.

Help sort laundry into colour groupings.

8 – 10 year olds

Children are now taking on

tasks that require greater time

allocation and complete a full

household task as opposed to

part.

Stack dishwasher

Empty compost bin and clean container.

Make drinks for dinner time.

Vacuum own bedroom

Cook a family meal as required.

Assist with folding clean laundry.

Help with weeding in the garden.

10 – 12 year olds

Aim to have a variety of indoor

and outdoor jobs for children

this age.

Unstack dishwasher.

Vacuum whole house as required.

Regularly cook a family meal.

Mow lawn.

Hang out washing.

Put away the groceries

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Family Contribution Schedule

You can download the excel spreadsheet here http://planningwithkids.com/wp-content/2014/04/PWK-Family-

contribution-schedule.xlsx

For more information on how to create the schedule you can read about it here

http://planningwithkids.com/2014/04/01/family-contribution-schedule/