So guess what’s on my fridge?  Nope, not a photo.  Nope, not a school drawing.  Okay, okay, fine.  Both of those are on there, much to the chagrin of my tidy husband.  But there’s nothing new about photos and drawings.

Let’s take a step back.  It’s a new year and a new year means progress, right?  As I thought through how to make the most of my time this year, I was shocked to find how few things I can actually control.  But I  finally found one:  knowing what’s for dinner.

It sounds easy, right?  You’re probably one of those people with a pretty Pottery Barn chalkboard hanging in the kitchen, with cursive letters spelling out your Menu Plan Monday , aren’t you?  Well, I’m not.  I’m terrible at planning meals, particularly meals my three children will find barely bearable.  Terrible, I tell you.  I can do it for a week, and I love it and I feel so organized and the things I need are right there in the fridge.  Life is good!  But by Sunday night I’m exhausted, so the next week I am scrounging around at 5:00 every evening, looking for something to feed the people who live here, as I shuffle between getting kids to practice, checking e-mail and making sure everyone has clean socks for tomorrow.  Less good.

So I sat down the other day and made a list of meals my kids like.  And a list of meals they will tolerate.  And a list of meals they might gag down but I will certainly enjoy.  Then I put them all together–a month’s worth!–on a Mac Calendar for goodness sakes, and I printed that baby out and put it on the fridge.

At the top it says:  Dinner Plan:  Subject to change whenever Mom says so.

I’ll let you know how it goes.  And if you fancy people with your fancy Menu Plan chalkboards have any suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them.  One step at a time here.  And unless we want to have exactly the same meals next month, I’ll need a little help.