We lost the spot for our chalkboard when we remodeled but we had one big empty wall behind our kitchen table. Our drywall has a light texture and I was afraid just painting with chalkboard paint would result in a surface too bumpy to write on successfully. So we bought a sheet of masonite (Home Depot cut it to the finished size for us) and painted it with chalkboard paint. We then mounted the masonite on the wall with sheetrock anchors. Our edges are unfinished but it would be easy to build a frame with molding around the edges.

Wow, lots of great information for you RNMom! I love that you're taking the time exploring what's out there to see what will work with your kids and to help -- cause that's what moms do best:) My daughter has been with her husband for about two years; if I were to guess what was one of the biggest "adulting" (don't you just love these words?) constants was What's for Dinner? Oh, and we have to carve out time to buy it? In Boston? Oh, and what do you mean we don't have that (fill in the blank) in the cupboard? Oh, and you mean that meat really isn't good on the seventh day? Oh, zucchini actually turns into mush if kept too long? You get the idea. She actually has a blog and wrote about her "meal prep staples." I'll snip her ideas here as it's a younger voice and may resonate with your kids a bit (not that we oldies (ME!) don't) Both she and her husband are professionals, Boston (driving is lunacy and serious TIME!!!!!!), long hours, both have food issues (LOW FODMAP , dairy allergy), he long distance runs, she runs, yoga, etc. etc. I guess what I'm saying is it will work, it evolves, and keeps progressing. I'm going to share that Saving Dinner website with her and some of these other ideas. Here is what she's worked out for now: "Shop on Friday // Don't be afraid of ordering: My first tip is that my husband and I have switched to 1) shopping on Friday night (if we don't have any other obligations) or 2) using Insta-cart for grocery delivery. I've actually always LOVED grocery shopping, but I've come to terms in the past couple of months that some weeks, it just isn't an efficient use of my time (I have a lot of other things I'd much rather be working on than battling my way through Whole Foods). .... Must-haves: I also wanted to share my absolute meal-prep must-haves each week that reduce my cooking time. This doesn't include my pantry staples that we always have on hand such as flours, sugars, spices, almond milks, etc. but I always keep these items in my freezer/fridge and can easily make a quick meal at any point during the week. Keeping these items in the fridge makes for an efficient meal-prep! Frozen sweet potatoes (I pick these up at Whole Foods) Frozen peas, spinach, and carrots Baby potatoes Organic broccoli or brussel sprouts Shredded broccoli slaw & shredded carrots Pre-cut peppers from the chop shop at Whole Foods Organic eggs One protein for the week (we usually do either organic chicken, organic pork, or salmon), a lot of times we will freeze and de-thaw when needed One sauce (typically tahini or hummus) In-season fruit - we always pick up bananas and clementines, but have been subbing in strawberries in recent weeks Organic brown rice Spend a couple hours to set yourself up: In all honesty, my meal prep for the week is NEVER more than a couple of hours, and I find that allocating this time pays dividends during the week. In those couple of hours I roast veggies (usually sweet potatoes, broccoli, and brussel sprouts), make a quick broccoli slaw, prep a quick sauce (tahini or hummus), throw rice in the rice-maker, and roast or cook the protein for the week. I never look forward to prepping food by any means, but I find that if I put on a good podcast and zone out, I'm actually really efficient and have food ready to go for the week. My husband also loves to cook, so between the two of us we divide and conquer. If you're feeling really crazy, plan for a mid-week meal: One area that I really struggle in is planning far enough ahead so that when I shop for groceries on Friday, I'm picking up ingredients for a mid-week dinner. One tip that's helped me out is to buy some frozen meats on Thrive. That way, the only additional items I need to pick up are veggies/starches. Her last sentence:)" Is this always a perfect formula for every week? Of course not. There's a lot of weeks where I'm not prepared, or not super excited by the food I'm eating. But that's ok - it's all a learning process!" Maybe some of that will resonate with your kids, RNMom. I know that money, time, enjoyment are all individual variables to take into consideration. BTW, I have no idea what Thrive is LOL! The other thing that I know that they do is some batch cooking on weekends, she eats tons of salads and does sheet pan meals. Maybe some of those ideas will help. Good luck! CathyinSWPA One last thing: When we were in Boston, my SIL and I made a Blue Apron meal together. While it was delicious, it really took a bit of time (I feel fairly adept in the kitchen), a lot of clean up for the amount of food it made for some active adults. It just wasn't a good fit for them, but may work for yours.

Maybe it is better than mine but I basically ruined my chalkboard by using some chalk pens. Granted, I think it is just a piece of wood painted with chalk paint. The white and red pens never totally came off. I hate regular chalk though so pens are the best bet anyway and I just know the white and red leaves a bleed mark. That said, maybe do something decorative in the corner and then wash it off to see if it stays. You are also suppose to 'season' blackboards by rubbing regular chalk all over it and then wash it off (I did this and maybe it I had used regular chalk for writing, it would have been okay but the pens, while beautiful, have a lasting affect.)

We keep hubby's favorite cereal, beans, rice, pasta, tomato sauce, a couple of cans of corn, tuna, clams, condensed milk, baking supplies and several bottles of our favorite taco sauce stocked in our pantry. Our small chest freezer contains a variety of meats, a few frozen sour dough baguettes and butter. We always buy tortillas, bread, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt and veggies/fruit fresh. A few years ago, I stopped keeping all but the basic spices/herbs on hand. I buy those in the quantities I need, when I need them, from the bulk bins at my local health food store. As a rule, I don't like buying from the bulk bins because of people sticking their dirty hands in the bins and sampling the product, but I don't think it's is as much an issue with spices. I do this because these products lose flavor and pungency over time and when I'm cooking I like to use the freshest product possible. If I can get it fresh, I buy that but selections are usually limited. The only things I keep on hand are pepper, ground chili peppers, garlic powder, cumin, oregano and dill weed as I use those a lot.