Browsing Category:

Get Organized

  • School Closure Schedule & Activity Planner

    quarantine schedule

    In the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, the possibility of school closures was something that seemed far out and even extreme. Now, with many school systems abruptly closing for the year, parents are scrambling to create some type of schedule to promote the normalcy kids need to feel secure.

    Kids thrive on routines. The consistency not only provides them a sense of security, but allows them to feel confident with time management. And as studies show, creating an established routine assists in developing important habits and life skills.

    quarantine schedule

    It’s impossible to adhere strictly to a schedule in this era of social distancing and some days you have to wing it! This is uncharted territory for all of us. No-one expects a set schedule to be followed meticulously during this time. Keep expectations within reason.

    That being said, we can do our best to give kids a daily routine as a guideline to follow. Enter: the School Closure Schedule and Activity Planner that we feel every parent could use right now, available for download below!

    quarantine schedule

    See what our School Closure Schedule & Activity Planner has inside!

    The School Closure and Activity Planner has 3 pages including:

    • Weekly Schedule: An activity focus for each day of the week
    • Daily Schedule: A timeline of suggested daily activities
    • Chore Chart: Age appropriate chore chart to maintain tasks
    • Learning List: Over 50 ideas for things to do while you social distance

    Pair the School Closure Schedule and Activity Planner with our Family Emergency Binder printables and you’ll be all set!

    We sincerely hope you and your loved ones are staying well during this difficult time. Rockitmama has a variety of parenting resources and children’s learning activities to keep everyone engaged until life returns to normal. Check the tabs on our homepage or use the search bar to locate articles and printables. Brighter days are ahead, friends.


    .

    April 11, 2020
    by
    2

  • Spring Cleaning Checklist – Free Printables Included

    Picture of a clean living room

    Picture of Rock It Mama ultimate spring cleaning checklistThere are few rites of passage as we move into spring, and for me – one of them is spring cleaning! As a family who has had our fair share of winter sicknesses, I am ready to get my spring cleaning on and eliminate all lingering germs. And if you are too – I have made this handy spring deep cleaning checklist for you, along with a customizable weekly cleaning schedule you can fill out on your own!

    See below to download your FREE spring cleaning printables!

    Picture of Rock It Mama ultimate spring cleaning checklist

    This checklist is a great reminder to tackle all those essential, but easily forgettable tasks. And these downloads are a great addition to your Family Home Binder printables available in my post here.

    Are you a fan of spring cleaning? What are some items on your list that you think I should add to mine?



    March 12, 2019
    by
    2

  • Kids Consignment Sales – Part One: 5 Tips for a Successful Sale

    We are officially heading into spring and that means consignment season is upon us!

    Blog Image of clothing saying Consignment Sales 5 Tips for a First-Timer

    Twice a year, I sift through piles of clothing, unused toys, books and baby gear to prep them for our local spring and winter consignment sales. I have found that participating in these events not only helps to declutter our home (Marie Kondo would be so proud), but its a simple and frugal way to outfit our children throughout the year. As a consignor, I’ve actually made a decent amount of money selling old items and then turned that money around to purchase seasonal-appropriate clothing and toys.

    Now the idea of consigning might seem intimidating for a first-timer, but I promise it can be so beneficial to you and your family. And since I’ve involved myself in a handful of sales, I want to share my best pieces of advice for those considering taking the leap. Part one of my consignment post series will highlight 5 tips for a first-time consignor and will hopefully be a great resource to set you up for success.

    Choose the Right Sale

    The first thing to keep in mind when signing up as a consignor, is making sure you choose the right children’s consignment show to participate in. There are a handful of factors that help make this decision easier and they are:

    • Location – Is it convenient to you?
    • Date – Will you have plenty of time to prepare? Are you available during the show days for drop-off/pick-up?
    • Size of Sale – Is the show pulling in a lot of buyers and making it worth your time and investment?
    • Season – Consider the items you want to sell, particularly clothing. Does the season work well for the items you wish to sell? (ie. If you have a lot of winter jackets and shirts, your items will not be accepted at a sale in the spring).

    Give Yourself Time to Prep

    Preparing your inventory takes A LOT of time; so plan accordingly in order to hit your drop-off deadline. You will need at least a months time in advance to go through the items you wish to sell, wash/clean, bundle items (if you plan to do this), list on the inventory software and tag.

    To learn more about the step-by-step preparation process I use, check out this post.

    Choose Items to Sell Wisely

    Go through all your items and choose the ones that are likely to sell at the show. This is also a good time to see everything you want to get rid of and decide if donating the items to a local thrift-store makes more sense. Here are some helpful tips when it comes to choosing what items to consign:

    • Make sure you pick in-season clothing (jackets, long-sleeve for winter / short-sleeves, shorts, summer dresses for spring, etc.)
    • Don’t include dingy, worn/torn or stained clothing
    • Don’t include items that are broken or have missing pieces
    • Older kids clothing, baby gear and outdoor play equipment are the fastest sellers and in high-demand. Additionally, clothing sets or outfits sell better than separates.

    Price Items Fairly

    Generally, children’s consignment events advise to sell at 30%-40% of the retail price, but it is best to refer to the specific consignment sales staff on a recommended pricing guideline. See our pricing guide below!

    Image of Rock It Mama's recommended pricing guide to use for kids consignment sales.

    Presentation is Key

    Presentation means everything at consignment events. When selling your gently-used items, you want to make sure that from a buyers standpoint, the items still look relatively new. Always wash/iron all clothing, wipe down and sanitize any baby gear or products and make sure all electronics have new, working batteries so buyers are able to test them out.

    Images from kids consignment sale Weecycle Wardrobe

    Photos courtesy of Weecycled Wardrobe

    For a more in-depth look at preparing for children’s consignment sales, be sure to check out Part Two – Prepping Your Inventory. And if you plan to consign in any future sales, be sure to bookmark or pin this post for reference!

    Have you participated in children’s consignment sales? What are the best tips you suggest for a first-timer?

    February 27, 2019
    by
    0

  • Weekly Menu Board – An Easy DIY Project

    Since the school year began, our family has put some extensive structure into our days – something we never had to do before. And to make sure our new routine runs smoothly during the week, I have been working on ways to organize our time and schedule accordingly. One of the newest projects I have implemented is this weekly menu board, which I am sharing below.

    It has only been a few weeks since using this and it has been really helpful. We’ve saved a fair amount of money by planning our dinners in advance and we are never asking ourselves, “What should we have for dinner?” when 5 o’clock rolls around. As a result, creating our grocery list each week has been a breeze.

    I modeled my weekly menu board from this project by The Thinking Closet, but with significant changes. It was super easy to make and one that I am excited to use each week. I hope you enjoy this project and see if it helps you!

    As a result, creating our grocery list has been a breeze and we are never asking ourselves, “What should we have for dinner?”

    Here is what you will need:

    Step 1.

    Gather your supplies.

    Step 2.

    Create a list of all your favorite family meals using this template. I made sure to include “take out”, “leftovers” and “eating out” as options for the times we aren’t cooking at home.

    If you happened to look at the weekly menu board that I referenced, they actually color coordinated the meals by category ( i.e. chicken, seafood, beef, vegetarian, etc). I didn’t feel this was necessary, but it’s a great idea if you want to get more detailed.

    Print this list on regular 8.5 x 11 card stock and cut into strips.

    Step 3.

    Self-laminate the meal strips, cut and punch holes in the top left-hand corner. When finished, hang on binder rings for later.

    Use this template to create bigger meal cut outs and you can print the recipes on the back!

    Step 4.

    Create a file in Silhouette or Cricut with the weekdays, “recipes/meals”, “The ___ Family Menu” and anything else you want to add. From here you will just create, cut, transfer and place on the chalkboard where you see fit (here is a helpful tutorial), but if you are just using a chalk paint pen – this is the step you would write these on the board.

    BONUS: Use this template to create bigger meal cut outs and you can print the recipes on the back! I regret not doing this myself and have since contemplated remaking my cards.

    Step 5.

    Hot glue gun the clothespins to below the days of the week and tape the command hooks to the right, as shown in picture.

    Step 6.

    Now, just put your meals for the week under the weekday and the rest will hang on the binder rings!

    And there it is! Altogether, the project took me about 30 minutes. I hung the weekly menu board on an empty wall in the kitchen that I plan to turn into a command center when all is said and done.

    Each Sunday, we look through our favorite meals from the board, decide what we want throughout the week and write out our grocery list. It makes our lives so much easier!

    Do you create a weekly meal plan? How do you like to keep it organized?

    Cheers mama,

    PS. If you are interested in more home organizational projects, be sure to visit here!

    November 9, 2018
    by
    0

  • Family Emergency Binder – Free Printables to Create Your Own

    Family Emergency Binder - Free Printables to Create Your Own | Rock It Mama | Learn how to create your own emergency family binder for grab-and-go

    This year, I took the time to really invest my energy in home organization. One of the very first items I worked on was a family emergency binder for our home.

    Family Emergency Binder - Free Printables to Create Your Own | Rock It Mama | Learn how to create your own emergency family binder for grab-and-goIt’s important to note that the family emergency binder is different than a home management binder, which is geared towards keeping your family on track on a daily basis.

    Putting all of our important information and documents together in one place has not only been smart and practical for at-home use, but it is the perfect grab-and-go item in case of an emergency.

    Now, each emergency binder will be unique across the board – some families choose to have very in-depth binders and others have just the vital information (I like to think mine was less elaborate). How and what you choose to put in yours is up to you!

    Family Emergency Binder - Free Printables to Create Your Own | Rock It Mama | Learn how to create your own emergency family binder for grab-and-go

    Here is how I put together our family emergency binder, as well as some additional ideas you can incorporate and some free printables so you can start your own!

    1. Create your family binder with some simple supplies:
    2. Gather your information and documents
      • Contact information (including emergency contacts, neighbors, hospital, primary care, pediatrician, veterinarian, insurance providers, etc.)
      • Medical information (personal medical details such as allergies, medications, etc.)
      • List of utilities (account numbers, authorized users and login username/password)
      • Important documents
        • Legal documents (marriage license, custody, car titles, lease information, etc.)
        • Tax documents
        • Property documents (deed, titles, etc.)
        • Testamentary documents (wills, trusts, etc.)
      • Identification material
        • Birth certificates
        • Passports
        • Copies of drivers license or state issues ID card
        • Social security cards
        • Military records
      • A list of usernames and passwords to vital websites
      • Contacts of family and friends
      • List of birthdays and anniversaries
    3. Print out the free family emergency binder printables I have made below, which include:
      • Family binder cover
      • Emergency numbers and information
      • Family personal profile
      • Birthdays and anniversaries
      • Contacts of friends and family
      • Utilities and services

    Family Emergency Binder - Free Printables to Create Your Own | Rock It Mama | Learn how to create your own emergency family binder for grab-and-goFill out your printables and place in the page protectors. Make sure you place all your documents in a spot you will remember (I place our documents towards the back of the binder, in different sections).

    Family Emergency Binder - Free Printables to Create Your Own | Rock It Mama | Learn how to create your own emergency family binder for grab-and-goThere you have it – in just a few steps, you have an easily accessible “command center” binder!

    Want to include more? Here are some additional ideas you can put in your emergency family binder:

    • Babysitter worksheet
    • Petsitting worksheet
    • Immunization records
    • Credit/debit card information
    • Medical release forms (you can even notarize these)

    Hopefully we never ACTUALLY have to run out of the house with this binder in an emergency, but the fact that we have it eases my mind exponentially.

    Have you made a family emergency binder?

    If you enjoyed this post and want more printables for your family binder, check out this post.



    September 11, 2018
    by
    14