Family Musings

As an update to my post last month about monthly menu planning and how much easier it has made my life, I want to share this great monthly menu planning spreadsheet that one of my readers (my mom!) was inspired to make and share. My mom is great with these sorts of things and she made it really easy to use. April will be my first month trying this out and I am excited to have the list formatted more cleanly than my handwritten notes were. You can access the spreadsheet through Google Docs at this link - monthly menu planning spreadsheet . There are columns for the date, meal idea, source, and for fresh ingredients. The last one is probably my favorite feature of my monthly menu plan. Because seriously, if I tried to buy my produce and dairy for the whole month at the beginning, it wouldn't last. We'd probably just eat all of the fruit up in the first 2 weeks and then end up with rotten spinach by the time we got to week 4. Currently, this spreadsheet is formatted from A...

A couple of months ago I switched from planning weekly dinner menus to planning monthly dinner menus. I read the idea months ago but was nervous about making the switch. I was finally convinced because I realized that weekly planning was not the best use of my time. Here are the pros to planning a monthly dinner menu: I only have to browse my cookbooks or recipes online once a month. I can space out my "filler meals" which ensures we don't eat spaghetti every other night. It is easier to guarantee that I do try the new recipes I do find. I'd been in a rut making the same handful of meals every week and even Mary was getting bored.  My budget is relieved. We get paid just once a month and by knowing at the beginning of the month what our main food expenses will be I can plan better.  I do not need to make a big shopping trip on a weekly basis. This is better for the girls attention span and for my sanity. Sure, I stop in for milk and produce throughout the mon...

I don't get to attend fancy blogging conferences. I don't have a sponsor willing to pay my airfare to cool cities like Nashville. And I know I'm not the only one. So I want to know, other than attending big conferences - What works for you when it comes to networking with other mom bloggers and increasing your community and influence. Linked up at We are THAT Family WFMW .