Author: Denise Lewis

Welcome! I’m Denise and this is my Organization and Lifestyle Blog. I started this blog in July of 2020 as a way to share tips, strategies, and support for working parents trying to navigate the newly blurred boundaries of work and home. I’m a full-time high school teacher, Wife, Mom to a high schooler and middle schooler, and Dog-Mom to Ginger. Our lives are very busy, so staying organized is a must in our house. Over the years, I have developed a love of healthy cooking, fitness, and by necessity a love of calendars. In my free time, you can find me reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books (job hazard--I’m an English teacher), trying new meals and baking bread, gardening on my patio, hiking, and shopping for organizational supplies (who doesn’t like a new set of Sharpies and Post-It Notes). Happy Organizing! Denise
Posted in Uncategorized

4 Goals to Recommit and Reorganize 2021

Posted on by Denise Lewis

Hello 2021! Jumpstart the New Year

Ringing in the New Year means setting new goals and recommitting to lifestyle choices and habits that fall to the wayside during the Holiday season. I’m not one that usually sets yearly goals in January as I believe we should commit to improving our lives all year, but I have to admit I’m looking forward to putting 2020 behind me and moving into 2021. This year has been one for the history books and committing to a new outlook and a reestablishment of a somewhat normal routine is appealing.

This year I am committing to 4 goals. Some are health related, some are work related, and all are family related.

Goal 1–Balance

This year I’m seeking meatphorical and literal balance in my life. I’ve strayed from my yoga practice and from balancing work and family.

balance, goals, organization
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Practice Yoga 3 Times a Week

The first way I am seeking to reestablish balance in my life is to commit to practicing yoga 3 times a week. The 30-40 minutes I spend breathing and stretching will help me gain perspective, flexibility, and mindfulness. For me, yoga is my time to connect my mind and soul–find balance. Even when I wobble (which I do at least once per session) I am firmly pressing my feet or hands to the ground and feeling the solid connection between the earth and my life. It reminds me that I am strong, firm, and grounded.

Do not Bring Work Home during the Week

The second aspect of balance for me is taming the grading. I’m a high school english teacher, and bringing work home (especially this year) is a given. From August-December of 2020 I probably worked almost every weeknight and probably 5-6 hours every Sunday. This was sustainable last semester because my kids didn’t have activities after school, and I didn’t have to run them to dance, football or Jazz Band. We all used the extra time in the evenings to complete school work. January of 2021 brings a return to 5 day a week face-to-face school for all of us, and a return to activities as normal. This means my evenings will be spent picking my son up from Basketball and traveling to his games, taking my daughter to ballet twice a week, and a return to my husband teaching at a local university 2 evenings a week. I need to leave work at work during the week. I haven’t figured out yet what that looks like, but I can not meet my family expectations and also have the expectation that I will answer email and grade late-work each night until 10PM.

Goal 2- Spend more time with my Husband

It seems counterintuitive that people practically homebound for 9 months need to spend time together, so I should probably qualify and add that I want to spend intentional time together. Falling asleep on the couch in the evening does not count as intentional time.

Don’t take your loved ones for granted.

I spent much of 2020 making sure my two teenagers didn’t feel lost, left-behind or frustrated. I patiently answered homework questions, read aloud books to my son, baked bread, made cookies and crafts with them, and tried to create a home that didn’t feel suffocating and dull; however, focusing so much on work and kids meant that my husband got what was left, and let’s be honest–that wasn’t much. In 2021 I want to spend intentional time with my spouse talking, laughing, and reconnecting. A glass of wine by the fire, or a cheese plate in the evening where we talk about our dreams, intentions, and hopes. No devices, no TV, no distractions–just us.

Goal 3-Spend less time on my Digital Devices

I love to read, and I can’t even tell you how many books I read a year, but I have noticed that I am spending more time on social media and on my devices. I miss holding a book in my hand. I miss having that book smash me in the face as I fall asleep reading. We live in a world that is now a 24 hour news cycle, and it is time to un-plug and to achieve balance.

reading, un-plug, goals, organization

I added five new books to my stack today, and I intend to start one tonight. If I can get my family to join me each night for 20 minutes of reading that would be a bonus. Just 20 minutes a day will add over 1,000 new words to your vocabulary in a year! I know someone who will take AP Language and Composition, the SAT and the ACT next year, so building vocabulary will be very helpful.

Goal 4- Household Chores

This is absolutely not a fun goal, but it is a necessary one. I am tired of spending my weekends grading, grocery shopping and cleaning. I’m sure many of you can relate. We work all week, and then spend all weekend doing laundry, food prepping and cleaning. I’m more exhausted on Mondays than I am on Thursdays because I don’t take a break over the weekend. Part of achieving balance is creating a cleaning schedule for everyone with the rooms in rotation. Time for a family meeting that puts together a chart with expectations and a clear schedule. My kids don’t mind helping if they have clear lists and, ok, I may bribe them a little, but hey–whatever it takes to get them to clean their bathrooms and do their own laundry.

Commit and Organize

Whatever 2021 brings, I plan to tackle it with with grace, balance and a new supply of Sharpies and chart paper for my lists. Wherever you are in your journey toward balance and organization, remember that setting small, achievable goals is the key to mastering the chaos.

Posted in Organization

It’s ok to Not be ok

Posted on by Denise Lewis
Feeling overwhelmed? Musings from a full time teacher and Mom.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Musings from a Full-Time Teacher and Mom

Life is Hard–Cut yourself and Everyone else a Break

Life is hard right now. Even those of us with prodigious organizational skills are struggling to find balance and grace. I started a blog to create weekly, healthy menus to share with the hope of easing the stress of working families. I was going to post a weekly planner that outlined the activities and responsibilities of each kid and adult in the house and we were going to have fabulous home-cooked lunches and dinners with organically grown fruits and vegetables each day. Wow, have I epically failed. I am pretty sure my kids have eaten Mac and Cheese for lunch all week and it came from a box. I add the “I think” because I’m the only one working and going to school outside of the home right now. I’m gone from 7-4:30 each day, and while I would like to say I know what my children are doing, I only have a general, superficial idea. I’m trying to decide if that makes me a bad Mom, and then I realize, that I can’t be everything to everyone, and the fact that they have a box of Mac and Cheese to make, and my kids know how to make it themselves is actually a win. 
See, I’m a public school teacher, and society keeps telling me that I need to put school, and teaching everyone else’s children in front of the health and well-being of my own. I spend 9 hours at work each day and then work an additional 2-3 hours each night, and I still have a to-do list a ½ page long. I work Saturday and Sunday and tutor my own kids via phone during lunch. I’m sharing this not to ask for sympathy, but ask for grace and understanding for all teachers. We are not ok, but we are doing the best that we can to create a stable and academically enriching environment for your child–often at the expense of our own health and wellness. I know my situation is not unique, and I know many professionals are struggling to find the balance within their own homes. My hope is that we stop judging each other on what we are not doing, and begin to acknowledge what we are–we are surviving. We might be eating a lot of mac and cheese, but we are eating as a family. We may be connecting via phone, but we are connecting.  The carefully crafted plans we made this summer are defunct, but it’s ok. The key is to just keep moving forward and doing the best that we can to adjust to this Brave New World (or 1984–I haven’t decided, yet which is more relevant in 2020). If you see a neighbor struggling, help, don’t judge. If someone is vulnerable and scared of contracting COVID-19, don’t scoff, but show respect by keeping your distance and wearing a mask in public to mitigate transmission. And most of all, know that it is ok to not be ok. Allow yourself the time and space to grieve what might have been and then acknowledge what is. Know that there are only so many hours in the day, and at some point, you have to stop, take care of yourself or you won’t be any good to anyone else. And above all, give yourself and others grace and compassion.

Posted in Family Schedules, Meal Planning, School and Daily Schedules

Back-To-School Preparation

Posted on by Denise Lewis
Tips and tricks for getting ready for back-to-school organization.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Tips and Tricks

It is the last week of summer vacation for me. I’m heading back to the classroom next week.

My district has opted for a hybrid model, so I’ll be navigating both the digital and face-to-face world at the same time. I hesitate to plan beyond September because of the uncertainty around returning to the classroom; this is difficult for a planner like me. So, how am I spending my last week of vacation? Zoom meetings (3 so far) to plan the upcoming school year, trying to decide what to move back into my classroom and what to leave at home, haircuts for everyone, and creating a two-week schedule for my family who will still be at home. Everyone has gotten used to Mom being home all the time, and it will be a shock when I leave for work on Monday, and they have to fend for themselves. I know many parents are in the same situation. How do you transition back to work and school while still maintaining support and accountability for your children? For my family to be organized–I must be organized.  This week I am focusing on setting up monthly and weekly calendars for the family, teaching my son how to complete more complex household chores, and reestablishing academic expectations. 

The next two weeks are a trial run for when the kids go back to school. Let’s be honest; it is also a trial run for my husband to see how he handles being the parent at home full time. We are blessed that he can work from home until January. I am also going to be honest and say that even though he is home, I fully expect my kids to call or Facetime me if they need help. To mitigate that, I’m going to give them select 30 minutes time periods during the day that I will be available for their questions and they can call me if they really are stuck on an assignment. I will build it into my day and then add an hour or two in the evening to finish up my grading and planning.  Is it ideal? No. But what in the year of 2020 is ideal?

I work in one local district and my children attend another, so we are not following the same schedule. I am in the classroom 5 days a week at least until October and they are in the classroom two days a week. We have always had a family calendar, but it highlights big events and not the daily to-do-list. Because I am no longer responsible for most of the daily to-do-list, we needed a family command center that houses the weekly schedules (pick-up, drop-off, football, dance, vet appointments, hair cuts, etc.) and the daily expectations for each child.

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

The command center houses the new weekly calendar and two chore charts. The calendar lists each activity by day has room for notes and papers. The chore lists are printed lists in a clear plastic sleeve hanging on clipboards. The clear sleeves allow each child to check off the daily chores and then we can wipe them clean each week. I have listed daily, weekly and optional chores for each child. When school starts for the kids I will update the chart and we will create a daily schedule to meet their needs. I like that the charts are reusable and that they can track progress each day.

To get them ready for this new chore chart, I spent a portion of this week teaching my 12-year-old son how to clean bathrooms and to cook some basic dishes. The additional responsibility is good for him and will decrease my stress level.

What is also going to decrease my stress level is my continued meal planning and now lunch meal prepping.

Weekly grab and go lunches for school and work.
Weekly Lunch Prep

Meal prepping is also a time saver during the week. It took me about two hours on Saturday, but I have an entire week’s worth of lunches and snacks prepped for the week. Each evening when I pack my lunch I just need to grab the pre-prepped containers and toss them in my lunch box. Lunch options this week include: Greek Yogurt, Hummus and Pretzels, Cheese and Crackers, and hard-boiled eggs. Snacks and additional lunch items include: sliced carrots and apples, mixed berries, clementines, dark chocolate, popcorn, walnuts, and dried fruit and nut packs.

My weekly meal menu is posted on the fridge and my daughter is increasing her cooking duties to two nights a week instead of only one.

Post a weekly menu so you know what is for dinner each night.
Weekly Menu

My final task before school starts on Monday is to pack my car the evening before. All of my boxes and bins are in the trunk all I have to do on Monday morning is to Mask-Up and grab my purse. 

These pre-planning steps take time, but pay off in the end with the additional time I get to spend with my family each evening. Happy organizing.

Posted in Healthy Meals, Meal Planning

Simple and Plan Ahead Menu for Summer

Posted on by Denise Lewis

Back-to-school professional development starts next week, so my schedule just radically changed. Whew, I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I look at this as a trial run for the Fall. We still do not know what type of learning, distance or in-person, we will be doing, so trying to plan is futile. So, I am taking this week as a sort of trial run. How do I feel after Zoom sessions from 8-4 each day? Do I have time to toss something in the crockpot, or throw together a marinade? Contemplating these questions, this week’s menu reflects some simple meals and some plan ahead meals.

We begin on Monday with a California Salad with Italian Grilled Chicken Strips. At lunch, I’ll toss some chicken breast tenders into a bag with about one cup of a good quality Italian Salad Dressing and let them marinade until we get back from the gym at 7:30. The salad consists of mixed greens, avocado, dried apricots, almonds, and goat cheese. You can switch out the dried fruit and cheese for your favorites or whatever you have on hand. My husband will add Blue Cheese to his salad. This meal will quickly come together in the evening. If I remember, I will pick the greens, wash them, and set them out to dry before we leave.

meal plan, healthy eating, family organization

Tuesday is my daughter’s day to cook, and she has chosen Caper Butter Tilapia with roasted potatoes and green beans. Anything with butter is bound to be good. This recipe is a sheet pan meal that makes for a quick clean-up when finished. Wednesday is another late night, so a plan ahead dinner is key to easing my stress. Grilled Pork Chops with Spiced Orange Sauce and a medley of summer squash requires planning ahead but will make it worth it when I come home Wednesday night and can just pull the meal out of the fridge. The Pork Chops need to marinate for at least 6 hours and can marinate for up to 24, so I plan to make the marinade while my daughter cooks dinner on Tuesday, so they are ready to toss on the grill when we get home.

The tilapia I buy comes in a bag of six, so I always have two left. I plan to add the two from Tuesday with the pieces from the previous bag and make Fish Tacos for Thursday. Toppings will include whatever veggies are in the house. Everyone will build his or her own taco. Friday means a break from cooking for me, so happy cheat day.

I let my son pick his favorite dinners for the weekend, and he chose Baked Tacos and Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs. Spaghetti is easy to make, hearty and quick, so this is a good dinner after our Sunday hikes. We usually spend an hour or two hiking at a State Park, so this is a great recovery meal that is easy to make. As always, search Pinterest if you are interested in making any of these meals. My goal for next week is to tweak one of my favorite recipes and share it with everyone.

meal planning, menu

Posted in Family Schedules, Healthy Meals, Meal Planning

Why Meal Planning is Essential for Taming the Chaos

Posted on by Denise Lewis
Weekly and daily organization helps keep everyone on time and happy.
Photo by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com

As much as I like to cook, coming home from work or the gym and getting peppered with “What’s for dinner, Mom?” isn’t what I want to hear when I walk through the door. After dropping my bag, I next go stand in front of the fridge and stare–hoping inspiration will strike. Or  I’ll look at a recipe, and find I’m missing an ingredient. How do I avoid this and decrease my stress at the end of the day? A weekly meal plan.

Why Meal Planning is Beneficial

Meal planning is beneficial for many reasons, and for me, it takes the guesswork out of what to make for dinner each night. We are less likely to eat out and more likely to eat healthy if everyone knows ahead of time what is on the menu. Additionally, my meal planning functions as a family calendar and schedule. It helps me choose Slow Cooker meals on nights when my kids have back-to-back activities. A simple meal in the crockpot allows a wholesome and healthy dinner to be ready when we are. Finally, I find meal planning helps me stay within my monthly food budget. When I plan my menu, I also plan my shopping list. I know what I need to purchase and only what I need to purchase. It keeps impulse buys out of my shopping cart, and it keeps us from eating out because we don’t know what to fix for dinner.

Where to Start

Step 1

  • Begin by recording the weekly schedules and activities for your family. I use a small magnetic whiteboard to record all activities and my menu. Why? It allows me to plan for nights I may be busy–a good night for leftovers, sandwiches, or a slow-cooker meal. 

Step 2

  • Check the fridge and freezer.
    • Take stock of what you have and what needs to be eaten in order to avoid waste. Do you have a package of ground turkey in the freezer or a package of asparagus that is getting soft? If so, make a note and plan around those ingredients. 

Step 3

  • Gather your recipes.
    • Browse your favorite cookbooks, magazines, and Pinterest sites. I have several Pinterest boards based on food groups and food types. During the Fall, I use my Slower Cooker Board more often than my Grilling Board, and in the Spring and Summer, we tend to eat more salads and lighter meals. 

Step 4

  • Build your menu

Step 5

  • Make your grocery list and do your shopping for the week.

Step 6

  • Post the menu where you and your family can see it.

Weekly Tips

Sample Menu for July

Knowing the menu each night takes the quess work out of cooking.
Posting the weekly menu and schedule reminds everyone of their responsibilities.

Tips for Monday are to make your quinoa ahead of time. You can also substitute your favorite rice or other grain. If you are in a hurry, there are many 90-second healthy rice options that cut your prep time down. Also, use whatever vegetables you have on hand. I added beets and carrots to our bowls because everyone likes them. Just toss your veggies in a bit of olive oil and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. I usually set the oven at 425.

Tuesday’s tips include making your pizza dough ahead or keeping a good quality frozen dough in the freezer for Pizza Night. We usually do some sort of flat-bread or pizza once a week, and having the dough in the freezer is helpful. I will often make a double batch of my Whole Wheat Pizza Dough and freeze half for later use. 

Wednesday is pretty straight forward. Season and grill some chicken breasts or tenders and top with your favorite veggies and condiments. Set everything out on the counter and let your family build sandwiches. I added some leftover pesto from Tuesday’s pizza to my sandwich, topped it with sliced tomatoes from my patio garden pots, and finished with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Yum!

Thursday’s meal is my go-to when I forget to plan ahead or if I want a quick vegetarian option. Like Monday’s bowls, the frittata uses any vegetables that I have left at the end of the week. This week we are using up asparagus, zucchini, and tomatoes. I also added fresh basil, thyme, and oregano from my herbs growing in the sunroom. Dried Italian Seasoning also works, or whatever your favorite seasoning combination is. 

Cheat Day is practically a national holiday in our house. It is the one day a week where we eat out for dinner and we allow ourselves to splurge on a dessert or two. That isn’t to say we do not have snacks during the week, but the grown-ups at least try to eat healthy six days a week and then treat ourselves on the seventh. 

Saturday is a great day for a cookout and this week Turkey Burgers are on the menu. You can purchase them pre-made in the fresh or frozen aisle or make your own. I made mine with cheddar, bacon, and BBQ sauce. 

Leftover Day is also a good idea, and you can place it on any day you want. During the school year, Leftover Day seems to be Tuesday. I think it is because I have more time to cook during the weekend and tend to make larger meals with more leftovers. During the summer is rotates. This week it is Sunday because we have been hiking, and the last thing I want to do when I come home after a long, hot hike is to cook, so Leftover Day it is.

Here’s my menu for the week. I have recipes from various sites, cookbooks, and family favorites, so if you are interested in any of these, I suggest looking at Pinterest. You can see that I also have my family activities for the week noted. This helps me know who’s turn it is to cook and when and where we need to be.

Wrap Up

However you design your weekly meals, the planning is what is essential. Knowing what to fix takes the guesswork out of the process at the end of the day. Give it a try. What do you have to lose? Nothing really. And, what do you have to gain? A step in taming the chaos and perhaps even a well-deserved break with your favorite cup of coffee.

Posted in Author Bio

Welcome to my Blog!

Posted on by Denise Lewis

July will soon be August and at this point, I have more questions than answers. Will my kids be in school full time? Will I be in school full time? How will we juggle two different School Calendars, one University Calendar, and not lose our minds? How can I teach my 100+ students, and make sure my own children have the support they need to successfully manage distance learning. Whew, I need some coffee and a good calendar.

Like many of you, my entire household has been home since mid-March. We transitioned from two working parents and two active kids with multiple sports and extra-curricular activities to a stay-at-home all the time household. The dog was ecstatic; the rest of us were unsure. The first few days were fine, and for the first time since September of 2019, I was caught up with my laundry. However, it was soon apparent that this wasn’t going to be a mini stay-at-home- vacation, but a new way of life for the foreseeable future. What are working parents to do? The answer is to create a schedule that mimics a typical day and then adapt as new plans and obstacles present themselves. This is what we did, and what I hope to help you, my readers, do for the Fall. 

What makes me qualified for this task? To begin with, over 20 years of teaching experience; if I can organize multiple lessons each day for over 100 teenagers, I certainly can organize the education of my 12 and 15-year-olds (not as easy as it appeared, but that is a blog for a later date). Next, I have been weekly-meal planning and scheduling our household for years with success, and I know having a plan can decrease stress and help you avoid eating out. Our family is committed to a mostly plant-based diet and committed to consistent exercise to help maintain our health and wellness; therefore, it is essential that we have a plan each week and know who’s turn it is to cook, pick up the kids, and do the dishes. We are an egalitarian household; everyone does his or her share. It is hard to cook 6 nights a week, but this commitment keeps our budget and health goals on track. I have spent the last 12 years gathering healthy resources, reading and studying multiple cookbooks, reading blogs, gardening posts, and fitness plans to create a streamlined agenda for my home; now, let me help you with yours. 

My struggle is your struggle. We are entering a brave new world, and if sharing ideas and tips helps a new Mom find balance or not feel alone, or helps a Dad trying to juggle working from home and teaching his kids, then it is worth it. We are better together, and I for one am always looking for ways to make my life easier and more meaningful.