The second department a Family Manager has to manage is Food. This relates to planning menus, shopping for food and looking out for the most economical way to feed your family. I'll have to admit that this is the area I struggle with the most. I'm the world's worst when it comes to sitting down to plan out meals for my family before I go to the grocery store. I do not like going to the grocery store, so I really try to make only one trip per week. But, sometimes that gets me into trouble if I don't plan well. We end up in the middle of the week with just bits and pieces of meals, and the kids end up eating lunch meat and crackers for dinner. So, obviously this is one area I need to work on myself.
I am a big fan of clipping coupons, but only if they are for products you would normally use. Buying food for you family in an economical way is hard work. But, with a little diligence and patience, you can stretch your dollar far. I always look at the sale papers to see what products we use might be on sale. I try to take advantage of the weekly sale prices. Also, if your grocery store has a free rewards program, make sure you sign up for this. Many times products are marked down just for rewards program members.
Take Home Tip: Write on index cards two weeks worth of your family's favorite meals and the ingredients necessary to prepare those meals. Then each week shuffle the cards and draw out how many you need for the number of days you will cook that week. Use these to create your shopping list. But, be warned...having the same meals over and over will get boring. So, always keep your eyes open for new recipes and meal ideas that your family will like.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Home and Property
Home and property is probably one of the most time consuming departments that you will have to manage. It encompasses overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings. This means things such as air conditioning repair, routine house cleaning, laundry and yard work. Actually, this list could go on and on with numerous duties to be performed. So, it's no surprise when we get bogged down in our daily lives that sometimes these things get pushed aside. It cannot be stressed enough that routine maintenance of our homes will save us time, money and energy in the long run. Take today for instance--we had a leak in our air conditioning unit upstairs. This was first discovered yesterday when I noticed water running down our living room wall. If we had made the time to have our units serviced before we needed to use them, we probably would have discovered this leak and saved ourselves a paint job and needless stress.
TAKE HOME TIP: Create a list of all the major items in your home that you depend on daily. This could include your air conditioning/heating units, water heater, washer/dryer, etc. After you create your list, make a yearly maintenance schedule so that you can be assured that these items are working properly and any problems can be caught and fixed before they become a potential disaster. Even taking time each month to maintain your washer by running diluted bleach through it can help it last longer and perform better for your needs.
TAKE HOME TIP: Create a list of all the major items in your home that you depend on daily. This could include your air conditioning/heating units, water heater, washer/dryer, etc. After you create your list, make a yearly maintenance schedule so that you can be assured that these items are working properly and any problems can be caught and fixed before they become a potential disaster. Even taking time each month to maintain your washer by running diluted bleach through it can help it last longer and perform better for your needs.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Family Manager Coach
I just recently completed training to become a Certified Family Manager Coach. I started the training because I have always enjoyed organizing and trying to find different ways to make things work around our home. I also wanted to do the training because the program made sense to me. It teaches you how to manage your home by departments. I'll share more about the departments in a minute. But, the main reason I wanted to do the training is because I love to see women live to the full potential God has given them. And, by being a Family Manager Coach, I can help women simplify their lives so that they can do the things God intends for them to do.
Now, back to the departments. The concept of running my home as a small business really clicks with me. As a CPA, I'm used to the business world, so when I became a stay-at-home mom I tried hard to make things work the way I thought they should work. But, I realized that I didn't have all of the skills or knowledge to do everything I wanted to do. When I read Kathy Peel's book, The Family Manager Takes Charge, the lightbulb went on inside my head. She described exactly what I was looking for and what made the most sense to me. When you think about it, our homes are really like small businesses. If you have a large family, it may be more like a small corporation! But, whatever size home you have, you can benefit by treating the day-to-day activities like a small business. Following is a list of the seven departments and their descriptions:
Home and Property-Overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings.
Food-Meeting the daily food and nutrition needs of the family economically and creatively.
Money-Budgeting, investing, paying bills, saving and handling a host of other monetary issues.
Family and Friends-Dealing with family life and relationships, including child-rearing, education, marriage, friends, neighbors and aging parents.
Special Events-Coordinating large and small projects--birthdays, holidays, vacations, garage sales, family reunions--that fall outside the normal family routine.
Time and Scheduling-Acting as the facilitator so the household runs smoothly and family members get to the right places at the right time, with the right equipment.
Self-Management-Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
In the coming days I will go into greater detail about these departments. No one person is perfect in all areas, so remember to recruit help in your home. I'll speak more about that later as well.
Now, back to the departments. The concept of running my home as a small business really clicks with me. As a CPA, I'm used to the business world, so when I became a stay-at-home mom I tried hard to make things work the way I thought they should work. But, I realized that I didn't have all of the skills or knowledge to do everything I wanted to do. When I read Kathy Peel's book, The Family Manager Takes Charge, the lightbulb went on inside my head. She described exactly what I was looking for and what made the most sense to me. When you think about it, our homes are really like small businesses. If you have a large family, it may be more like a small corporation! But, whatever size home you have, you can benefit by treating the day-to-day activities like a small business. Following is a list of the seven departments and their descriptions:
Home and Property-Overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings.
Food-Meeting the daily food and nutrition needs of the family economically and creatively.
Money-Budgeting, investing, paying bills, saving and handling a host of other monetary issues.
Family and Friends-Dealing with family life and relationships, including child-rearing, education, marriage, friends, neighbors and aging parents.
Special Events-Coordinating large and small projects--birthdays, holidays, vacations, garage sales, family reunions--that fall outside the normal family routine.
Time and Scheduling-Acting as the facilitator so the household runs smoothly and family members get to the right places at the right time, with the right equipment.
Self-Management-Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
In the coming days I will go into greater detail about these departments. No one person is perfect in all areas, so remember to recruit help in your home. I'll speak more about that later as well.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Partner's Wife
My husband just became an audit partner at the accounting firm where he works. I am so proud of him and this accomplishment. He is certainly receiving a great reward for the 15 years of his life that he has given to work as an accountant. Sometimes, though, I selfishly ask myself "What about me?" I am the partner's wife. Shouldn't I get some reward from this as well? Shouldn't I get to drive that new SUV I've had my eye on? Shouldn't we get to build the new house I've wanted? Shouldn't others treat me with more respect because I am "THE PARTNER'S WIFE"? One day while out running errands, I heard the encouraging word of the day on KLOVE. It was from Proverbs 22:1, and it says "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." I believe that God was speaking to me that day to remind me that I am His and that He is my reward. When I got home, I looked up the verse on KLOVE's website to read more about it. Their commentary on this verse confirmed that God was speaking to me about this issue. It said "The best way to gain a good reputation is to focus on obeying God, not on earning other's approval. People who honor God win respect." After reading these words, I realize that I'm not going to get respect just because I am the partner's wife. True respect only comes after living an obedient life for God. Maybe now I can focus on obedient living and leave the rest up to God.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Family Manager
Jennifer is a Certified Family Manager Coach. She has completed the necessary training through a program created by Kathy Peel called Family Manager University. She is trained to inspire, equip and assist her clients in creating an organized home environment and living a more balanced, fulfilling life based on the client's goals and priorities. She offers Family Manager Makeover Assessments, Makeover Action Plans and other personalized coaching services based on proven Family Manager strategies and solutions.
Jennifer offers all of these services to help equip women to serve God and their families in a balanced manner.
Check back for upcoming Family Manager events by clicking on the Schedule tab.
Jennifer offers all of these services to help equip women to serve God and their families in a balanced manner.
Check back for upcoming Family Manager events by clicking on the Schedule tab.
Schedule
2009 Schedule
January 13
Connections Women's Mission Group
Park Hill Baptist Church
North Little Rock, AR
April 24-25
Arkansas WMU Missions Celebration
Park Hill Baptist Church
North Little Rock, AR
January 13
Connections Women's Mission Group
Park Hill Baptist Church
North Little Rock, AR
April 24-25
Arkansas WMU Missions Celebration
Park Hill Baptist Church
North Little Rock, AR
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