Summer Picnic & Barbecue Planning Guide – Part 4 of 5

August 14, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Smabs Sputzer)

Many summer schedules are coming to an end, but summer continues officially until September. As your routines change and you are reunited with your friends, enjoy times together over a summer picnic and barbecue.

After planning the menu in part 1, distributing the responsibilities in part 2, and creating an inviting space in part 3, today continues with keeping refrigerated items cold and organizing your food layout.

Keeping Refrigerated Items Cold

With the summer heat, keeping the refrigerated items chilled is a challenge. Besides keeping those dishes inside or in a cooler, I like using ice packs. Since the ice packs will melt, I do the following:

1. Find a coordinating hand towel that fits nicely on the table,

2. Set the hand towel (folded in half) in the place of the refrigerated dish,

3. Place the ice packs on top of the hand towel, and

4. Put the dish on top of the ice packs.

Throughout the picnic, I check the refrigerated dishes for coolness and return them to the kitchen as the dinner comes to an end. Keeping refrigerated items cool is difficult in the direct sunlight. If the ice packs are too bulky for under the dish, I have placed the ice packs around the dish as well. As each picnic menu has its challenges, I focus on keeping the refrigerated items cold when organizing the food layout.

Organizing the Food Layout

When I setup the food table, I choose to group like items together as needed. My organizational pattern is as follows:

1. Paper Products

In this section, I place the plates, napkins, and silverware. Of course, I skip this step if tables are preset with these items.

2. Meats

A platter of meats followed by breads and condiments fill the next section on the serving table.

3. Sides

Placed next to the meats are the sides, including salads, vegetables, and fruit.

4. Desserts

If desserts are included on the table, then I add them at the end. Depending on the setup, I usually serve dessert after dinner is complete.

5. Drinks

If I only have one table, then I set the drinks with cups at the end. This way, guests do not carry their drink through the food line as they fill their plates.

With a simple setup plan that works with any type of gathering, I can quickly prepare for guests without lots of fuss. Inviting friends on the fly is possible with a plan in place. Entertaining others does not require china and crystal glasses. Thank goodness. 🙂

Planning a simple summer picnic and barbecue need not take lots of time and energy. In using time wisely to plan ahead to keep refrigerated items cold and organizing the food layout, you can focus on relaxing and enjoying your evening.

With Labor Day weekend coming, consider inviting some friends for an enjoyable summer picnic and barbecue. Happy planning!

Question: How do you keep the refrigerated dishes cold?

Summer Picnic & Barbecue Planning Guide – Part 5 of 5

August 21, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Rubbermaid Products

Many schools started this week here in South Carolina. With one last week of summer fun, our family is taking advantage of near-empty establishments to get in those last few moments of an unscheduled routine.

As our summer whines down, so does this series on planning a summer picnic and backyard barbecue just in time for Labor Day weekend. In case you’ve missed a post, here’s a recap of the series:

Summer Picnic and Barbecue Planning Guide

Part 1: Planning the Menu

Part 2: Distributing the Responsibilities

Part 3: Creating an Inviting Space

Part 4: Keeping Refrigerated Items Cold

Part 5: Enlisting Cleanup Helpers

Enlisting Cleanup Helpers

In this last segment, I will share how cleanup can come together in a snap. If the picnic occurs in the evening, then as the sun sets and everyone begins moving indoors, I enlist helpers. 😉

For our barbecues, the table rests near our sliding glass door. As individuals pass to go indoors, I ask them to take a dish to the kitchen. After the first two or so requests, the other participants join in to help.

When I get a number of volunteers, I just coordinate the tear down:

1. Provide trash cans

2. Take all food and beverages to the kitchen

3. Place all paper and plastic products and decorations on my dining room table

4. Provide cloths to wipe down the table

5. Direct the chairs, tables, and trash bags to the garage

Once the outdoor area is clear, I move to the kitchen. In using time wisely with our guests, I simply get the food put away and in the refrigerator and return to the party. Once our friends leave, Paul and I tidy the kitchen and dining room. Cleanup goes rather smoothly as most is done because everyone shares a part.

NOTE: If your summer picnic is more formal, then do not expect your guests to help with cleanup. This planning guide is for a relaxed event with family and friends, who should not feel offended when asked to help.

As you plan and adjust to your fall schedule, remember to fit in hospitality. A relaxed summer picnic and barbecue offers opportunities to entertain while enjoying time with friends and your family. With a Labor Day break on the horizon, use this summer picnic and barbecue planning guide to make some special memories. Happy planning!

Question: What would you add to the planning guide?

2012: First Day of School Eve

August 28, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Our house is a stir with excitement and preparations for the first day of school. On the first day of school eve, I start with a plan.

With some nervous energy from my daughter entering kindergarten to my calm son ready to see his friends, our big day is on the horizon.

My goal is to end the summer with fun while minimizing distractions for tomorrow morning.

To reach that goal, we started our day with breakfast and a shopping trip to Staples for the last two items that never went on sale during the back-to-school season.

On our way back home, we snagged 50¢ ice cream cones from Burger King while chatting about predictions for the new school year. At home, we ate lunch, and my toddler took a nap.

In between the loads of laundry, we finished labeling and packing my son and daughter’s school supplies.

Aligned their backpacks down the hallway in their designated spaces. (The third backpack, used by my son last year, has been passed down to the toddler for her items. ;-))

Chose their first day of school outfits complete with shoes and accessories.

Set out their lunch bags and drink containers.

Printed the signs for pictures and the lunch box notes.

Loaded up their school supplies and headed out to our annual Back-to-School family dinner. This year we ate at Stevi B’s with a Groupon.

My mom is staying for a little longer to spend time with her grandchildren and see them off to school. We are wearing her out and enjoying our time together. 😉

After dinner, we attended Back-to-School night at school where we dropped off our supplies, received information about the school year, reunited with our friends, and made a few new relationships.

With a busy evening and early start to tomorrow, we came home, ran through our evening routine, answered questions, calmed fears, and put our children to bed.

Packing in precious time with my family on our last day of summer vacation proved enjoyable and profitable. Keeping our tradition of a family dinner completed our summer activities and spurred us into our next adventure. In using time wisely, our first day of school eve activities closed one chapter and will start another in the morning. Keeping it together . . . barely!

Question: How did/are you planning your First Day of School Eve?

2012: First Day of School

September 4, 2012 by Tracy

My toddler watching her siblings.

In my house, planning for the first day of school is more important and time-consuming than planning a birthday party or dinner party.

Beginning in July with all the back-to-school sales, our family shops, gathers, organizes, and plans for our First Day of School.

Last week, I shared our festivities on the First Day of School Eve. Today, I report how that first day commenced.

Morning Send Off

Having prepared the prior night made our morning this productive:

Dressing and grooming took around 10 minutes because clothing was chosen and laid out.
Lunch and snacks packed in prepared bags and notes written during breakfast.
Finished styling the girls’ hair and took pictures.
Arrived at school early to deliver teacher’s gifts and snag those first-day pictures.

All dressed and ready to go.

Back with his friends, my son returned quickly to his routine. On the other hand, my daughter had a slight meltdown in her classroom, but she found a friend and settled down to color. 😉

Whew! A busy morning ran smoothly with a little early planning and preparing for our first day of school.

Afternoon Pickup

Getting the privilege of picking them up at different times, I enjoyed listening to their first day adventures. My daughter eagerly whipped out her folder to show her lessons and request help with her homework. She loves learning and thrives on doing projects like writing, coloring, and crafts.

Though less-talkative than my daughter, my son gave a story or two about the day to appease his Momma. After stops at the grocery stores, we arrived home. Without homework, my son sauntered off to play.

Evening Preparations

With the busy day, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. After dinner and baths, we desired another smooth-running morning and prepared for our second day of school:

Unloaded, cleaned, and chose lunch and snack options
Chose and laid out clothes

In using time wisely to prepare for the first day of school, we ended our day with success and exhaustion. I was surprised at how tired I was after getting the kids in bed. Though getting back into this routine may take a little time, I will continue preparing the prior night since this routine keeps me calm while using time wisely.

As you continue or start your fall routine, try to plan your morning the prior evening. Getting off to a good start sets the pace for your day. A little preparation can make your morning productive while using time wisely. Happy planning!

Question: If you have school-age children, how did you fare on your family’s first day of school?

Celebrating Labor Day – Easter-style

September 11, 2012 by Tracy

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! I love this saying since life is constantly changing. Though I plan and schedule activities, sometimes life happens and those plans fall through. Such was the case during Easter this year, so we changed plans to celebrating Labor Day – Easter-style.

I had great plans for celebrating an unhurried Easter, and then our family caught a spring cold that brought our schedule to an abrupt halt. Our recovery lasted through Easter and into the next week, so our Easter celebration was simple without lots of extra activities.

My children still wanted to complete the Easter activities, so we kept out our decorations. With the busyness of the end-of-the-school year, summer, and family vacation, I finally pulled out the Easter activities on our rainy Labor Day weekend. Yep, 5 months later, we celebrated our Labor Day – Easter-style. 😉

Resurrection Eggs

My favorite Easter activity is reviewing the Easter story through the hands-on opening of the Resurrection eggs.

On Labor Day morning, we setup on the living floor. With their eggs before them, my children opened the eggs in numerical order as I read the Easter story.

I enjoyed hearing my children tell me portions of the Resurrection story using the items found within their eggs.

After finishing the Easter story, I listened as my children used their eggs to re-tell the Easter events. At the conclusion of play, we packed up our Resurrection Eggs for safe-keeping until March or April of 2013. Well, that’s the current plan because you just never know. 😉

Coloring Easter Eggs

After a Labor Day lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, my son chose to play a game with Paul while the toddler took a nap. My older daughter had begged for months to color Easter eggs, so we created them together.

Upon prepping our work space with newspaper, she chose the coloring kit and plastic colored cups that matched the colored tablets. We measured the water, added the tablets, and watched the water change colors.

We had a blast as my daughter colored 2 dozen eggs. While patiently waiting the 5 minutes between colorings, she drew with a wax crayon on the white eggs.

When she colored those eggs, her writing remained white as the wax prevented the dye from coloring the egg. The Easter egg coloring process took around an hour and was time spent wisely.

Though we did not have an Easter Egg Hunt due to the rain, we opened the Resurrections eggs while reading the Easter story and colored eggs. Our unconventional Easter-style Labor Day offered fun activities and ended with Easter decorations neatly packed and organized for spring activities.

In using time wisely to prepare for holidays and special events, plan well. When your plans fall short, reschedule – even if it’s 5 months later. Plans will change, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Happy planning!

Question: What holiday have you celebrated unconventionally?

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