The Incidental Family Menu Board

I'm no domesticated engineering genius but I sure am proud of my little creation...

Unfortunately, I am a Stay At Home Employed Mom, which means I have to split my attentions betwixt Real Estate matters and homemaker duties. I used to be pretty dang awesome at the wifey-mom stuff before I started bringing home some of the bacon. Now I'm scrambling just to stay mediocre at it. So, this chart became a necessity. 

Before you slather me in all your gooey praise for my lucky stroke of brilliance, allow me to take it down a notch or five and admit this calender was actually birthed out of my detest for the question "what's for dinner?"  You may as well shave my fingertips through a cheese grater than blurt those whiny, presumptuous words in my ears. I hate them almost as much as the phrase "I'm bored." Deciding what to make for dinner requires planning and motivation. Neither of which I give any forethought until one of my starving kids deliriously begs "what's for dinner?"  By then it's usually around 7PM and the S.A.H.M. in me feels a slight hunger-pang of empathy for the child so I answer, "food!"  And out of guilt, I'm finally forced to think about it. Ugh.

Well not anymore. Pazzah! Now, I can just go to the freezer and randomly pull out some chicken or hamburger and while it is thawing in the microwave, I look to my trusty menu board and decide what I'm in the mood to eat.  No planning required...erm, except you do have to buy the ingredients. Fortunately for me I always buy the same crap on my big grocery runs so I still manage to circumvent the thinking part. I know right about now my serendipitous approach is probably sending you regimented mommies into a tailspin. Fear not. You don't have to be as capricious as me to use this amazing board!  You can complicate and convolute it to all your disciplined heart's content.  

Just think of me as the idea lady. All you S.A.H.M. pro's out there have permission to copy my creation and make it even better, because you will anyway. I've been to Pinterest, I know my place on this food chain.

I'm just of the personality disorder that resists being governed by a schedule, it's a knee jerk response. So, if I'm going to stick to a program, it cannot feel like an agenda. Voila!  Enter non-committal meal planning menu! As I cook each dinner on the ambiguous calendar, I remove the correlating picture from the board. This ensures I don't my family doesn't have to eat the same thing twice in one month. It's all about the kids, you know.

Want one? It's easy to make (Instructions below)! In fact, mine isn't even that beautimous and I'm sure you can do better if you're the artsy type.

Here's watcha need:

• The internet or digital camera
• Picture/printing software (I use publisher)
• Printer and paper
• Clear contact paper
• Magnetic tape
• Magnetic Calendar (I bought this one at Michael's)

Here's how to do it:

• Take photographs of your favorite meals or Copy/paste royalty-free images of your favorite meals into your picture software project. I formatted them to approx 1.5 inches.
• Print and cut into individual squares (if you're really anal fastidious, write the ingredients of each meal on the back of the picture before you laminate-- but be sure to leave a space for magnetic tape. Helps with the shopping list, wish I had done it.)
• Cut contact paper into slightly bigger rectangles to match food squares, fold over picture and cover both sides. 
• Trim the edges square till you think they look purty.  
• Attach magnetic tape to the back and you're done!