Review of the Hey Mama Schoolhouse Planner for 2016-2017

If you have been a reader here long then you know I am a plannerholic! I love planners and I especially have a fond love for paper planners. Today's planner is the Hey Mama! Print Schoolhouse Planner 2016-2017 from The Old Schoolhouse.
I absolutely love the cover of the new Hey Mama planner! It is so nostalgic and brings visions of the hard working yet simple days of the past. Inside you will find 196 pages of spiral bound planner goodness - the biggest one yet! The covers are made of thick card stock and feel like they have laminate on them. This planner begins with July 2016 and runs through June 2017 so it's perfect for the beginning of a new school year. 

 
What I love most about this planner are the Hey Mama inspiration and encouragement letters. I have always been so encouraged by these on Facebook and to have them right there as I am planning is so uplifting! Before you begin each monthly section, you will find a Hey Mama note and a monthly notes page.

Inside you will find the typical monthly and weekly planning pages. The monthly pages are dated but the weekly pages are not which I love! I love that the weekly pages aren't dated because we all take off time at different intervals and if those pages were dated they would just remain blank during our break week creating wasted pages.

Remember those beautiful pictures included on the cover? Well, inside you find out the history behind each of those items! I thought that was such a fun and fascinating touch making this planner truly unique.

Also included are several sections for monthly goals, semester goals, and yearly goals. I love the categories given for breaking down each goal.

The attendance charts could not be simpler to complete. Simply check off the school days as you complete them. One of the requirements of our state is to keep up with attendance so I like to complete my sheets when I do my weekly planning sessions.

These are the pages that I am currently in the planning stages for the next school year. The yearly calendars included are for 2016, 2017, and 2018. I've marked my husband's long days off and marked holidays so far.

The curriculum planning sheets are a great resource to keep all of your information in one place. I have to tell you that it has been so weird to only be planning for two this year though instead of three!

Another unique feature of this planner is that it includes many academic pages including writing prompts, the thirteen colonies, timeline of inventions, US Presidents and their wives, branches of the federal, state, and local governments, and so many more! 

Other forms not shown include information on how to create academic transcripts, a blank transcript (which can be copied), sheets to record books read, homeschooling contact list, checklist sheet of skills learned and other courses. See sample pages for more details. 

 We are about to head into our 9th year of homeschooling and I cannot think of any other resources you might need that this planner doesn't include unless it would be just some extra blank note pages. 

 
This planner can be purchased here and sells for $29 in the US. There are also versions for Canada and International.  

Right now, you can save $10 off the print version of the planner by using the code below. This offer will expire on July 15, 2016.

The Hey Mama! Schoolhouse Planner is also available in digital or CD formats. Find out more on The Old Schoolhouse by visiting them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google+.

Motivation Monday

Top 5 for the week

1. keep working on next year's budget calendars - I'm updating them a little.
2. complete cleaning from last week, decide on YTMM project, and decide on next Ladies Bible study.
3. walk!!!  and of course it's another rainy week (suggestions??)  I guess Leslie Sansone but that gets boring to me.
4. finish school strong - this would normally be a break week but we're hanging on to take the week during Thanksgiving and I'm growing weary fast!
5. Take more pictures of school

Menu Plan 

Dinners:  

• chicken pastry, green beans, yams (from last week)
• pork roast, cabbage & potatoes, slaw (from last week)
• chicken quesadillas, chips, veggies (from last week)
• mustard salad, sausage, and potatoes
• bbq sandwiches with slaw, brunswick stew 

Reading goals (affiliate links)  

• Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals    

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Plan With Me!

Top 5 for this week

1. work on next year's budget calendars
2. work on Christmas calendars
3. Basketball games begin so even crazier schedules begin too!
4. put away Halloween decorations
5. decide on YTMM Handmade Holiday item

Menu Plan 

Dinners: I changed the menu so much from the plan last week so I still have these on hand.

• chicken pastry, green beans, yams
• pork roast, cabbage & potatoes, slaw
• beefaroni
• chicken quesadillas
• breakfast of some sort

Reading goals (affiliate links)      

• Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae
• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of Last Week

Top 5 for the week

1. set up cleaning plan in planner
2. finish marking hubby's days off
3. file bills
4. work on next year's budget calendars
5. work on large monthly grocery list and shop

Menu Plan 

Dinners:  We ended up having soup and fish sticks instead of those two.

• Tostados (from last week)
• Pasta, salads
• Cheeseburger steaks with onions and gravy, garden peas (from last week)
• Meatball subs, chips, cut veggies (from last week)
• dinner with Grandma       

Reading goals (affiliate links)  Read goal amounts and finished the two struck out - great reads and reviews coming soon!  I will be finishing up Priscilla Shirer's this week - sad about that!!

• Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae
• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine
• When Lightning Struck: The Story of Martin Luther by Danika Cooley
• Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals    I missed 1 day hitting the 5,000!

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of The Ultimate Homeschool Planner

Hello, my name is Melissa and I am a planner junkie! I love planners! I don't know what it is but I find myself drawn to them and have used so many different ones over the years and honestly liked them all for one reason or another. I do know when I am feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, taking the time to put a plan on paper helps me to release that overwhelmed feeling even if those plans don't always go as planned.


So, when the chance came to review The Ultimate Homeschool Planner - Orange Cover from Apologia Educational Ministries I did not hesitate. I have drooled over this planner for a while and now it comes in three fun colors -  Blue, Orange, and Yellow!


You can purchase The Ultimate Homeschool Planner alone for $29.00 but it is designed to be a part of The Ultimate Homeschool Planning System which includes The Ultimate Weekly Planner for Teens (for 7th-12th grades) and The Ultimate Daily Planner for Students (for 4th-8th grades). The whole concept is to gradually teach your student to take responsibility for their own schedules and planning.
We do not own the student or teen planners so I just dug into this one for moms by itself. It can stand alone as a mom planner too.
My first glance at this planner, I saw that the covers doubled as folders on the inside and it is bound together with a sturdy spiral coil. The covers were a little flimsy for my taste but it has held up well so far. I really like the vibrant color choices available for the cover. I have stuck basketball and CAP schedules in the folders and they have stayed in as I have transported my planner from place to place.

Inside you will find a full array of planning goodness including:

• 4 years worth of yearly calendars at a glance
• 12 full pages on suggestions and guides for how to use the planner (which I LOVE)
• one year planning grid
• student goal setting pages
• pre-planning guides
• monthly planning pages
• weekly planning pages
• records, grades, and activity pages
• teaching tips
• high school planning pages
• year in review pages

Included also was a suggested planning schedule to help you plan for peace and it is pretty much exactly what I already do!  It gives times and suggestions for yearly planning, monthly planning, weekly planning, Monday morning tutorials (where you sit down and show your child the weekly plan), and Friday reviews.  Ms. Bell, author of the planner, gives great detail and suggestions on each one of those planning areas.
My favorite part of the planner and the one I utilized the most were the 4 weekly planning pages.  Each weekly plan begins with 2 pages of review from the previous week and planning for the upcoming week. Those 2 pages include an encouraging quote, a place to record areas that didn't work well the previous week and scripture verses to help you through, places to record the most memorable moments, and a place to record evidences of God's grace. 

After those 2 pages you begin your weekly 2 page spread and you can customize it to fit your needs. I gave each of my children a section, schedules and reviews a section, and my weekly cleaning goals a section. There is also lots of room to record notes, supplies, and appointments. 

Overall, I think this is a wonderful planner for any homeschool mom. A few things that I would love to see added or changed to this planner are tabs for the different sections to make finding my place easier. Each section is color coded and that helped but I think tabs would be a better option. I would also love to see a sturdier cover as an option. Check out these sample pages and the table of contents to find out more.

You can find out more on the many homeschool products Apologia offers by visting them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+.

It's Monday Again!

Top 5 for the week

1. set up cleaning plan in planner
2. finish marking hubby's days off
3. file bills
4. work on next year's budget calendars
5. work on large monthly grocery list and shop

Menu Plan 

Dinners: I changed the menu so much from the plan last week so I still have these on hand.

• Tostados (from last week)
• Pasta, salads
• Cheeseburger steaks with onions and gravy, garden peas (from last week)
• Meatball subs, chips, cut veggies (from last week)
• dinner with Grandma       

Reading goals (affiliate links)      

• Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae
• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine
• When Lightning Struck: The Story of Martin Luther by Danika Cooley
• Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of Last Weeek

Top 5 for the week

1. update new planner - so excited about this one!  Here's the video of the new one I choose.  
2. 3 reviews due this week!
3. write to do list nightly
4. reading plan to complete 2 books I'm reviewing.
5. pick up items for Princess of the King on Friday, set up schedules

Menu Plan 

Dinners:  Totally changed this up most of the week!

• Tostados
• Chicken with stuffing and gravy, green beans
• Cheeseburger steaks with onions and gravy, garden peas
• Meatball subs, chips, cut veggies
• Potato Soup and grilled cheese  (we had taco soup instead)     

Reading goals (affiliate links) completed the pages I set out to read     

• Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae
• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals        DONE!!  Goal met every day even hit 10,000 one day and could barely walk the next lol.

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15      Done - working on these goals for a while but they are finally becoming habits I think!

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

My Week!

Top 5 for the week

1. update new planner - so excited about this one!  Here's the video of the new one I choose.  
2. 3 reviews due this week!
3. write to do list nightly
4. reading plan to complete 2 books I'm reviewing.
5. pick up items for Princess of the King on Friday, set up schedules

Menu Plan 

Dinners:  (I'm feeling the need for gravy, lol)

• Tostados
• Chicken with stuffing and gravy, green beans
• Cheeseburger steaks with onions and gravy, garden peas
• Meatball subs, chips, cut veggies
• Potato Soup and grilled cheese       

Reading goals (affiliate links) 

        

Longing For Paris by Sarah Mae

          

Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God

Mark study with Hellomornings

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily  

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Last Week of Break!

Not a whole lot to plan for this week - woohoo!  This is the 2nd and largest chunk of our break time and I'm headed out of town with my sister later in the week!!

Here's a sneak peak into my next six weeks' school planning session.

Top 5 for the week

1. laundry done and packed
2. 5 minutes of work each day - time it!
3. grocery store - for 3 items - no more - no less!
4. finalize Hellomornings current group members before leaving
5. savor this time for renewal!!!!!!!

Menu Plan  (only planning for 3 meals this week)  Have I mentioned just how much I love break week!!!!

Dinners:

• Fish sticks, applesauce, green beans, spinach for 3 of us that like it :)
• Creamy bacon chicken, rice, peas (new crockpot recipe) - will be sharing during Crocktober.

• Pork roast, potatoes, cabbage, slaw           

Reading goals

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Judges study with Hellomornings
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of Last Week

Top 5 for the week

1. allow grace to adjust to new schedule
2. make sure all review items are as complete as possible since I will be out of town next week.
3. catch up on Own Your Life
4. complete next 6 weeks school planning session
5. relist items to sell

Menu Plan  (I really need to finish this but for now I'm too tired.)  I'm thinking something like tacos and a new recipe maybe....to be continued :)

Dinners:

• mini meatloaf, mashed potatoes, garden peas (nope)
• chicken pot pie
• fried chicken drumsticks, potatoes, green beans
• tacos
• potato soup
• beefaroni
• chicken pot pie

                  
Reading goals  caught up on all!

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Judges study with Hellomornings
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson
• 3 Weeks To An Organized Homeschool (kindle pick - It's free at this moment) (aff link)  finished this one - pretty quick read and better for just starting out I think

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily (worst week yet - rain, rain, rain is my excuse so I need to implement an indoor plan as well)

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)  done!

Allowing Grace In Your Schedule

I'm late with this post even but it's still Monday!  

Our schedule has totally changed from when we began school 6 weeks ago to allow for dance and basketball activities.  When our schedule changes like that I try to not be so hard on myself if other areas fall behind for at least 2 weeks.  Last week was the first week of grace, this will be the second!  I can see we are adjusting better this week already.  Come November, it will change again!!

Top 5 for the week

1. allow grace to adjust to new schedule
2. make sure all review items are as complete as possible since I will be out of town next week.
3. catch up on Own Your Life
4. complete next 6 weeks school planning session
5. relist items to sell

Menu Plan  (I really need to finish this but for now I'm too tired.)  I'm thinking something like tacos and a new recipe maybe....to be continued :)

Dinners:

• mini meatloaf, mashed potatoes, garden peas
• 
  
• fried chicken drumsticks, potatoes, green beans
• 
  
• chicken pot pie

                  
Reading goals

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Judges study with Hellomornings
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson
• 3 Weeks To An Organized Homeschool (kindle pick - It's free at this moment) (aff link)

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily

New Habit for this Interval until 11/22/15

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of Last Week

Top 5 for the week

1. get caught up from last week - I'm behind in some of my Bible studies, book club, and review work.
2. Costco haul
3. make meals from the pantry this week
4. Putting this in it's own number to keep it a priority - 3 reviews due and framework for some coming up
5. give myself grace for trying to follow the new schedule and work on Work the Plan at least 3 days.

Menu Plan

Dinners:

• mini meatloaf, mashed potatoes, garden peas - didn't have
• pasta or hamburger helper (if there is enough meat left after making meatloaf), salads - didn't have
• out
• ham steak, mac n cheese, butter beans
• pizza boats, salad

                       
Reading goals - caught up on 2 of them!

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Judges study with Hellomornings
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson - now 2 chapters behind

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily - only hit goal once again but still more steps averaged per week so a little victory!
• focus on more fruits and vegetables - honestly, can't focus on this right now!

New Habit for this Interval until 

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day) - drum roll please - done every day!!!!!!

Remember Last Week's Let's Rock It Motivation

Well, evidently that "Let's Rock the Week" was for my week that I didn't know was to come.  I rocked it as best as I could but didn't get my weekly planning done over the weekend for this week so I feel like I'm behind already!  Oh well, I'm doing it now or at least I'm trying.  

Top 5 for the week

1. get caught up from last week - I'm behind in some of my Bible studies, book club, and review work.
2. Costco haul
3. make meals from the pantry this week
4. Putting this in it's own number to keep it a priority - 3 reviews due and framework for some coming up
5. give myself grace for trying to follow the new schedule and work on Work the Plan at least 3 days.

Menu Plan

Dinners:

• mini meatloaf, mashed potatoes, garden peas
• pasta or hamburger helper (if there is enough meat left after making meatloaf), salads
• out
• ham steak, mac n cheese, butter beans
• pizza boats, salad

                       
Reading goals

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God
• Judges study with Hellomornings
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily - I am so sedentary!!
• focus on more fruits and vegetables

New Habit for this Interval until 

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day)

Review of Last Week

Top 5 for the week

1. try to rise by 7:30 (we are night owls!) - nope only once lol
2. research freezer meals - nope
3. determine "work" hours (reviews, blog, etc) - determined at least one hour from 2-3 but need to decide on more
4. get the jungles cut aka the grass
5. focus on recording some videos

Menu Plan
Dinners:   I'm hoping to add in a new recipe to try each week and a video of us making it and trying it.  We shall see!

• breakfast (either waffles or pancakes) bacon
• chicken pastry, green beans, yams (if I go to grocery store)
• mini meatloaf, mashed potatoes, garden peas
• chicken pasta alfredo
• vegetable beef soup (I can't wait any longer!!)

                       
Reading goals

• Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God ahead even!
• Judges study with Hellomornings - behind one day
• Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson - behind 1 chapter

Fitness goals

• try to get at least 5,000 steps daily - I am so sedentary!! - If I average the week, I did.  But each individual day I did not.  I approved the weekly average from last week at least!
• focus on more fruits and vegetables - hahahaha uhm no

New Habit for September

• water, water, water (at least 32 oz per day) - 5 days which is another improvement!

Linking up with Money Saving Mom.