Simple Order

Everyday Easter Egg Fun

2012-03-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

It is sad that Easter is only one day. I get all teary-eyed just thinking that the joy of opening plastic easter eggs only lasts one day. So I thought, why does it have to be this way? Why can't we stretch the holiday a little longer.

This year, I started a new tradition that does just that - stretch the holiday fun. I started off small, because I didn't want to be too overwhelmed with my busy schedule and not have fun creating holiday fun. I will hopefully add new traditions each year until my holiday is really egg-stravagant.

For a week before Easter, I put a center piece on my table consisting of plastic eggs, a little easter grass (you know the stuff that gets everywhere and floats mindlessly around the house), and a bowl of yummy - cadbury mini-eggs!

Easter Center Piece

Here comes the fun part. Every morning before breakfast, my babies get to pick an egg that has been filled with trinkets, candy, or little easter toys of some sort. Then after they eat their breakfast - they can have two cadbury mini-eggs before going to school. Let me tell you, I don't even have to shake them awake anymore. All I do is turn on the light and bam - they are up and dressed and ready to choose an egg. They get to shake them and roll them, but they can not open until they have chosen one. It is sooo much fun to see them all excited. This year, I put starburst candies, lifesaver gummies, and all sorts of $1 toys from the Easter aisle at the local walmart. They have bubble rings, pop-up eggs, pop-up bunnies, bouncing balls, and bunny erasers. The fun part is that they never know what they are going to get. All the extras leftover can be used to fill their Easter Bunny Baskets on Easter Sunday too!

Here are my thoughts to add to traditions for years to come:

1. Add a slip of paper with a love note from Mommy and Daddy

2. Cook a special easter breakfast every morning (bunny-shaped pancakes for example)

3. Put a note on their doors - that makes them find their eggs hidden in the house (especially for the older one who is getting to be quite the reader)

4. Mini-easter egg hunt every morning

5. Easter color booklet to do a little every morning

6. Read an Easter book every morning

Continuing Kitchen Clean-up

2012-03-24T05:12:00.002-07:00

So you have reorganized your kitchen, but how do you maintain it? How do you keep it from getting to that everything's in the kitchen and I can't cook stage? Is there any hope to a happy healthy kitchen space?

Sure is. Its called continuing the kitchen clean-up. A daily routine that can be completed in the short space of the commericals of your favorite T.V. program. Simple easy steps to maintaining a clean spotless kitchen.

Complete these simple steps everyday to insure kitchen cleanliness.

During Morning Breakfast - while cooking the morning breakfast - sweep the kitchen floor. Doing this every morning prevents the nasty build-up of crunching crumbs under your tired feet. Also empty the dishwasher from the night before - put away the clean dishes so it is free for the daytime dishes.

After Morning Breakfast - clean any dishes or rinse and put them in the dishwasher. Doing this after every meal keeps your counters and sinks from getting run over with grimy dishes and keeps the task of dishwashing to a minimal chore. Also wipe down the table and cooking area you just used. Making a habit of this keeps counter maintainence easy as pie.

During Lunch - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them. This makes the task of pot duty seem easy as can be.

After Lunch - Clean any dishes and wipe down the table. Continuing the clean-up.

During Supper - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them (continuing the clean-up). Wipe down counter spaces for any debris and dust. Pick up miscellaneous items that have strayed and do not belong in the kitchen - return them to their proper place.

After Supper - Load and start dishwasher or finish washing dishes. Swiffer or sweep kitchen floors if necessary (I only do this every three days or so). Clean cooking areas.

Here is a short list without all the explanation:

Morning 1. Sweep

2. Empty dishwasher - store clean dishes

3. Clean dishes

4. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Midday 1. Clean pots and pans

2. Clean dishes

3. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Evening 1. Clean pots and pans

2. Wipe down counter spaces

3. Pick up misplaced items

4. Load and start dishwasher

5. Swiffer (2-3 times a week)

6. Clean cooking areas.

None of these task take a lot of time - really only a few minutes each and area split up into times you are naturally in the kitchen anyway. The job of kitchen clean-up becomes easy when you keep the task small and manageable.

Kitchen Organization - Storing and Usage

2012-03-23T04:08:00.004-07:00

The kitchen is the hub of any well organized home. Everything happens in the kitchen. For that reason, it can also become the most disorganized area in a home. Here are some tips to bring sanity back to your sanctuary.

TIP #1: Know what you have to have in the kitchen.

This depends on what you do in your kitchen. This will be different for every person. Make a list of things you do everyday in your kitchen and a list of items that must be readily available to get these tasks done in an efficient amount of time. For example - if your children do homework in the kitchen - it might be beneficial to have items like pencils, erasers, scissors, colors, etc. in a portable basket or tote.

TIP #2: Designate cabinets for storage.

Count the number of cabinets you have in your kitchen. This is the number of different types of items you can store in your kitchen. This will help you keep a manageable amount of stuff in your kitchen. Make a list of cabinets and what will be stored in each. Just remember some items like pots and pans may take more than one cabinet to be used as storage.

TIP #3: Locate items near where they will be used.

Make sure that you store items near the area of use. For example, seasoning would probably be best stored in a cabinet near the stove since this is where you will cook food. Homework materials would probably be best stored in a cabinet nearest a table.

TIP #4: Remove items that are not used in the kitchen.

Once your list are made and you have sorted through your items. Remove those items that don't belong in the kitchen. Store them in the room that is closest to their use area.

TIP #5: Daily Pick-up and Removal

Keep up with keeping your kitchen organized by daily picking up of items and moving and removing them from the kitchen. Be diligent in returning items to their proper location and soon your kitchen will be in tip-top shape.

DIY Ribbon Wreath/Bow Holder

2012-03-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be beneficial to those of you with a creative whim to let you know my latest creation. I created a ribbon wreath that doubles as a bow holder for that special little girl in you life. It was so easy, it only took about and hour and a half of actual trial and error before I threw together something that really made me smile. Pinterest gave me the idea of a ribbon wreath and a good friend of mine gave me the idea of a hair bow holder. And a little later - the two just merged into one. This is the finished product - the steps to create your own will follow with tips of course!

DIY RIBBON WREATH AND BOW HOLDER

Items needed: ribbon (lots and lots)
                      foam wreath
                      cut-out letters - I used "chip board" letters from Hobby Lobby
                      hot glue (lots and lots)
                      decorative items (flowers)

Step 1: Take your foam wreath and cover it in ribbon - this was the trickiest step for me because I had a squared type foam wreath - the round ones are much easier. You can cut and individually hot glue the ribbons which is what I did, because I was afraid that eventually the ribbon would move and not stay in place. I used coordinating ribbons of brown and pink, but you can do it all one color or many different colors. I wrapped the ribbon and cut it into sections then hot glued it. *****TIP****** Make sure you get plenty of ribbon - I had to make another trip to the store :(

Step 2: Center and hot glue your letters onto the wreath. *****TIP***** Plan this out before you glue - once they are in place - they are in place.

Step 3: Add decorations and hot glue them into place. *****TIP***** Same as above planning saves a lot of aggravation.

Step 4: Add hanging ribbons at bottom and hot glue them into place. These are for the hair bows that your little one will wear for years to come. *****TIP***** When cutting the ribbon melt the edges with a lighter to have a finished edge, be careful not to burn them though.

That's it! Four easy steps and you have a beautiful hair bow holder, personalized and everything!

OH NO....I'm out of toilet paper!!!

2012-02-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

There are certain items around the house that you usually buy in bulk. These might include toilet paper, paper towels, dish liquid, detergent, bath soaps, canned goods (pantry staples), etc. If you are like me, an avid coupon clipper, you might buy a bunch of this item at one time, enough to say last a couple of months. Well, as busy as I am (being a mom and teacher and whatever other hat I am wearing that day), sometimes I admit it I forget to take inventory of what I need before I go shopping. These items often get overlooked because they are not a weekly shopping item. And sometimes, I hear the dreaded...."MOM--- we're out of toilet paper" only to go to the toilet paper storage and find there is none there. Then its a mad dash to the nearest store to buy a ridiculously expensive small pack of toilet paper just so somebody can get off of the toilet. ADMIT IT WE HAVE ALL DONE IT....well...I say no longer shall I hear those words....I am putting a stop to it.

Here is my suggestion, I have only recently started trying it out, but it seems to be working wonderfully. I take a 'lovely, I-don't-know-what-I-would-do-without" sharpie and I number each roll of toilet paper that I buy from the store on my bulk shopping trip. I do the same with paper towels and every other bulk item I buy. Here is the brilliant part (at least I think so), I store them in the cabinets backwards with number one all the way in the back of the cabinet and so on and so forth until they are all stored and the highest number is showing in the front. Then, say I have 20 rolls of toilet paper, when I see number 10 in the front, I know it is time to add it to the grocery list.

I know, I'm a genius right...no just desperate for a little reprieve from 'dash' shopping. Anyhow, it has worked so far, I just added paper towels to the list because I usually keep 12 rolls in stock and just realized that I am on number six tonight. I am so proud I did not run out of paper towels. Now if only I can think of a way to actually remember to buy what is on my list, ah, but at last that is a whole other problem for another blog.

The Many Benefits of... Greeting Cards

2012-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Greeting cards have many benefits. You can use them to cheer up a friend, make relationships stronger, keep in touch with relatives and friends, keep your own spirits bright, and remind others and yourself of special days throughout the year. With extended families and the many holidays, it can be quite a task to keep greeting cards in check and in order. Here are a few tips to get you off to using greeting cards efficiently and effectively.

Tip #1: Get a collection going. Collect greeting cards for all holidays, events, and any occassion. This is easiest done by finding a box of assorted greeting cards. You can get these at hobby stores, bookstores, and of course online. Start building a small collection that you can draw upon all year.

Tip #2: Organize your collection. Organize your greeting cards by months. If a month has birthdays, holidays, or special events, put a card from each of those categories in that months designated spot. I use an expandable folder to keep all of my greeting cards organized. I have it first divided into the twelve months. Then I have categories, like holidays, birthdays, and other occassions. If I have an unplanned event, then I can just draw from the other categories behind the months. However, the ones that I know are coming up are already in their designated month section.

Tip #3: Pre-stamp all of your greeting cards. I buy forever stamps from the post office and all of my planned greeting cards, at the beginning of the year, are stamped already. This saves time later.

Tip #4: Keep an event calendar. I have one calendar in my "Home Notebook" binder that is designated for events like birthdays, weddings, baby due dates (or showers), holidays, and anniversaries.

Tip #5: Keep a contact list. Along with my event calendar, I have a contact list that I keep a running list of names, addresses, and phone numbers to keep track of the many people that need to be sent greeting cards throughout the year. I try to update this whenever possible.

Tip #6: If you don't mind not being creative, it is a good idea to get a list of general sayings and words of encouragement for different holidays, this too can be found on the internet with minimal searching.

Tip #7: When you make your daily to-do list, make sure to check your calendar. Keeping track of sending cards can be one of the hardest details. A daily to-do list, solves this problem. Set aside five minutes each night to check calendars and coordinate events for each day so you don't find yourself accidentally forgetting that important person.

Building Reading Readiness

2012-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

So as a reading teacher, I see how my students struggle everyday with simple common words that should be part of their world and sight vocabulary by this age. I teach fourth graders, so to watch them stumble over words like 'father' and 'grandparent' really breaks my heart.

This got me thinking - maybe there are ways that parents can help their children from a before-school age build fluency with common words and therefore build the background they will need for the rest of their lives. The hardest things for education today is to get the parent's involved and caring about the education of their children. We live in such a fast paced world that it takes tremendous effort for a parent to really make an effort to affect their child's education. So I decided to make a list of ways a parent can help a child of any age make gains in their reading ability.

There is not more important area to succeed at than reading. If you are a good reader you can do anything in life. Everything you do in life, you will need the ability to read - from passing a driving license's test to reading the instruction manual for a new gadget. You must be able to read on all levels and all sorts of texts to succeed in today's dynamic world. Luckily as a parent, there are things you can do to foster a love of reading and give your child a great start at reading even when they are not in school.

Before Birth - Preschool Ages

If your child is young or even unborn yet, there are many things you can do to build reading readiness - here are just a few.

1. Read to your child in the womb - it has already been proven that the unborn child can hear the happenings of her/his world from inside the womb. They can recognize the sounds of their parents voices. By reading to them in the womb they begin to learn the rhythmic patterns of speech and sound, which is the foundation of phonemic awareness and phonics the first building blocks of reading. What is great - it really doesn't matter what you read to them, they don't have the concept of meanings of words yet, they are only listening to pitch, tone, and flow. Read what you love out loud and give them the gift of a lifetime of reading.

2. Read to your child anytime - reading is not just for nighttime, show your child that reading is something they can do anytime. Make it quality time for you and your child. Read books together and make sure they see you reading on your own as well.

3. Board books, rhyming and repeating books, and colorful books - you need to make sure your child has a variety of books that will grab their interests. Since at this point in their lives, words are barely making sense, they will want books that interest them. They will want vibrant colors, with pictures, textures, and fun sounds of reading to keep them entertained. Don't expect them to always get through entire books, read until they are ready to move on to another activity and then pick it up later. Point out pictures and relate the words to the pictures, right now it is important that they know words represent real items and they can begin to repeat these words as you point to pictures. The story doesn't matter much to them right now, but the pictures do.

4. Label words around the house - if you put a few labels on common items like chairs, tables, phone, or even labeling their toy bins and where items go. All of this builds vocabulary knowledge which is the third building block of reading.

Elementary School Ages

This is a really important part of your child's education. The ideas you set forth for the importance of education will be built here. The more you value education and show your child this value the more your child will value education and become independent in gaining education.

1. Homework with your child - reading homework often includes reading a story to or with your child. This is so important in an early elementary child's education. They need to hear fluent adult reading to mimic and build their own reading skills. If your child is able to read - let them read a sentence and then you read a sentence - let them repeat your sentences. Make it fun. Make it a game.

2. Continue outside reading - your child should be reading outside of school as well. Go to the library every two weeks and check out books to read. Read them with your child and have your child read them to you. Let your child see you reading the materials you like to read.

3. Labels - have your child create labels with you - help them label items in their room and if an item can have more than one name, make sure they create those labels too.

4. Synonyms, Antonyms, and Attributes - make sure your child realizes that words can have same meanings, opposite meanings, and functions. Play games with your child - "Find a word that means the same as ....", or "I go up...you go down", or "When we set the table what are the parts of the place setting..." These simple quick conversation pieces build important vocabulary skills that are necessary for reading comprehension later in school.

Older School Ages

Once your child is a reader, you don't want to forget to make reading interesting and fun, but now it is time to concentrate on getting into the reading with your child.

1. Read and Watch - give your child a book to read and tell them you will watch the movie together once both of you have read the book. When watching the movie, make comments like "That was just like the book" or "I wonder why they left this part out..." Try to get your child involved in predicting the next part, or answering your questions.

2. Read together - get the same book for you and your child to read. Talk with them about the parts of the book they are reading. "What did you think about..." or "I really liked this part, what was your favorite part..."

3. Informational Reading - let your child read the newspaper with you or their favorite magazines. Be sure to always talk about what is being read and discuss how viewpoints can be different.

4. Model, Model, Model - continue to read in front of your child. This is a confusing time in their lives, with hormones and so many distractions. It is important that we still model the importance of reading to them.

By doing these few little items you can be sure your child will become an avid reader. They will value their education and hopefully become self-motivated to make learning in life a priority.

Off to Work I Go - ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE!

2012-01-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

Because I am returning to work after the holiday season, I thought it fitting to do a post about getting yourself and your kids ready for the day. As a mom, this is one of the hardest jobs we do every single day. Get children who don't want to go to school up and ready, get a husband who can't fend for himself up and out the door, and get a person (yourself) who is always worried about others to worry about themselves and ready. You really have to be superwoman to accomplish this feat some days.

It is important that the day start off good for you and your children. A hectic morning can set the pace and determine the peacefulness of your entire day, believe it or not. It can cause you to forget important items at home, forget important events and appointments throughout the day, and can ruin any chance of a good mood at work or school.

So what can you do to have a peaceful and successful start of each day, especially when that day means getting everybody in the mood and off to work or school -

ROUTINE - I know you have heard the word a million (and now a million and one times), but really it all boils down to having a set routine that you do everyday rain or shine, sleet or snow. As a teacher, I can tell you children thrive on routine. They need to know their world is safe and predictable. They need to know what is coming next and that next is going to be something good. They are creatures of habit (even bad ones) and they act out when they don't know what to do next or can't decide what should be done next. Set up a morning routine. I paid attention to what my kids do naturally in the morning and use that to assist me in setting up a routine that flows with their natural habits. I used the following form to set up a routine every
morning for them. I no longer need to refer to the routine sheet, but it does come in handy when they stay with someone else when I am not at home and I need their routine to continue to be comfortable for them. Their daddy finds it especially helpful because he is not home to know what their routine already is.

Pin It

Morning Routine Setup Guide

PREPARATION - Believe me, I know at the end of the day the last thing you want to do is prepare for the day ahead. But if you want a smooth, less chaotic, and peaceful morning - five minutes of prep the night before will go a long way. Everynight right before I go to bed, I prepare my to-do list for tomorrow with all the major things I hope to get done the night before. But more importantly, I prepare items for my husband and children the night before. I make sure booksacks are packed and by the front door. I make sure diaper bag is packed with fresh clothing and diapers and all necessities and by the front door. I make sure my husband's lunch is in a container in a designated spot in the refrigerator ready to be put in a bag in the morning. I make sure things are picked up and out of the way for the morning rush. I make sure shoes are by the front door and accounted for. By doing these few little routine items every night, in the morning there is no yelling at children to find their shoes, booksacks, or scrambling to look for lost items. My husband can easily grab his lunch and head out without waking me and the kids. (He gets up and out to work way earlier than the rest of us). Our morning is much smoother and I do a lot less fussing, which always makes me happier.

TIME MANAGEMENT - I am an early person. I arrive early to everything - early to work, early to appointments, early to visits, etc. I believe in being early to avoid being late. I believe if you give yourself extra time for the "not planned" events, then they will not cause you to be late and therefore stress about being late. I always practice how much time I need to do things. A few days before school starts I practice the amount of time I need to be up and get everything I want done, I practice how much time I need to get the kids up and moving without rushing, and I even practice how much driving time I need. I always give myself about twenty extra minutes to make sure everything will run smoothly and a last minute dirty diaper or vomiting child will not set my routine on end. By allowing myself extra time, I allow myself to be calm before I even wake my children. I allow myself not to stress because one child is taking a little longer to get ready. I allow myself not to worry if traffic is heavier than normal. I am calmer, my morning is calmer, and my children are calmer in the morning. This allows me to start my day fresh, free of stress, and calm (most of the time). I am not always perfect, and you should not expect to be so either. There will be times when no matter how much extra time you give yourself - you will be running late, but if you make it a point for that not to be a habit, you will have a much better and peaceful morning. The MORNING ROUTINE SETUP GUIDE takes all of these elements into consideration and gives you helpful tips to make the most of your morning routine and make your morning routine work for you.

Cleaning Calendar

2012-01-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

For those who are working on the organized New Year Resolution, here is an excellent suggestion. Create a cleaning calendar where you do a thirty minute job each day of the month (with a few planned days off and catch up days). The job should be something very simple like going through your shoes. After a couple months the jobs can start repeating, because staying organized is just as important as getting organized. Also plan one major room renovation each month - but break the room into manageable activities that you can do over the course of the whole month. I have planned out my entire year for 2012 and am loving the easy list that is making life more manageable. For those who do not have the time to plan their year out, there is already a cleaning calendar at JustMommies.com that is really great. I used this one last year and it was wonderful, which is the reason I tweaked it to make my own this year. The link below connects you to their site.

JustMommies.com Home Organization Plan

Watching your weight when watching TV

2012-01-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, then you like to eat while you watch T.V. I don't sit down and watch T.V. often, but I am a sucker for a few reality shows and a couple of series. I will only watch T.V. at the end of my day usually from about 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The amount of time I spend watching T.V. (about an hour a day) really isn't the problem. The problem is that for that whole hour, I will be engulfing an unsightly amount of calories and what's worse is that I do nothing after that to burn them off and they immediately get stored into fat. Every commerical I will get up to get something to snack on from the kitchen.

I have determined through my daily journals that this is the time that my diet falls apart and I am defeating a whole day of "being good". See how beneficial journaling can be! I have been doing this all my life, but it never dawned on me until I read my honest journals recently. So as always, I am making a plan to keep me from eating during my T.V. watching time. Here is the plan and it is so simple, I feel as if I am an idiot for not realizing it sooner.

The plan, you ready, DO SOMETHING OTHER THAN EAT. Ha - can't get any simpler than that. But you know me better, I can't just do something without planning it. So, I made a list of things to do while watching my favorite T.V. shows - that still contribute to my "to-do" list for the day. I just save these chores for this time period at night. I am so nerdy, right!

10 Things to Do While Watching T.V.

1. Laundry - fold

2. Schoolwork - grade papers

3. Plan out my day for tomorrow - home notebook

4. Menu planning - if its that time of the week (for me on a Friday night)

5. Coupon clipping

6. Blog planning

7. Exercise - my 50 sit ups time (I'll do more on this in a future blog)

8. Daily Journal - Part of my New Years Resolution blog plan

9. Birthday, Anniversary, Get well, and holiday card writing

10.Bill paying - write out checks and bills for tomorrow

Take it one step further - For the REAL ORGANIZING OCD IN YOU

I have the list above printed into my home notebook, but you know if it isn't on my "to-do" list at that time, I am not going to do it. So for the ocd organizer in me, I add it to my daily planner as well. I make a note of the time to do it during my favorite T.V. program and I choose one or two items of the list to do during that hour.

Clutter Free - Even with Kids

2011-12-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

As part of my New Year Resolution, I am going to try to get my house to be a clutter-free zone. That is a tall order to fill, but even taller when you have kids. After doing bunches of research on some of my favorite organization sites and blogs, I have discovered a common element in all the clutter-free tips. The element is three-fold.

First, you must purge - this step probably takes the longest. You must take each room, part-by-part, and make sure that the things in the room are actually used. A good rule of thumb, if you haven't touched it in a month then you probably don't need it. This is easy in some rooms, like kitchens and bathrooms, and harder in other rooms like kids' rooms. Kids seem to want every toy they have ever played with even from birth and there is no reasoning with them. My seven year old has a valid reason to keep everything, but we don't have the room or the time to keep all of this organized. So a couple times a year, I make sure to have her purge her toys and I have to be firm. She must get rid of at least half of what she has - especially toys that I have never seen her play with in months. This takes a good deal of coaxing and sometimes even just outright "No you cannot keep that" commands, but eventually we get it done. To keep this step from becoming the end of your inspiration, keep it manageable. I have set up a calendar to do a room a day for cleaning and purging. This keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and keeps my family from feeling like I am getting rid of everything they own. (*Psst...they don't even realize it....because they think I am just cleaning)

The second element of having a clutter-free home is to organize - this is my favorite step. I just love rearranging items into pretty, neat, little containers and new areas of organizations. This is easiest done for kids' rooms by having multiple bin storage. I label my 7 year old's bins because she can read, however I have to include pictures on my 3 year old's bins so that he can begin learning to pick up as well. Using containers is one of the easiest ways to combine the purging and organizing elements. When the container gets full it is time to get rid of the older stuff and make room for new stuff. Plus, containers can easily be labeled and easy for kids to manage. Mason jars are awesome containers for kitchen, office, and bathroom items.

The third element is to set routine clean-up. There are several ways to accomplish this step. I have a cleaning schedule set-up where I clean one room a day from top to bottom and in this clean-up process I use the following "clutter-free" suggestions.
                    1. Use the "don't leave the room with empty hands rules" - this allows you to pick up items that are accumulating and return them into their proper place.
                    2. Another way is to use the basket technique, as you are doing your daily chores keep a basket with you to toss in stray items and when the basket is filled empty it by returning items to their proper place.
                    3. The final way to continue to keep clutter at bay is to have a donate box always available. I keep this in my laundry room, and when I see items that I don't want or the kids don't need - I toss it into this box. When the box gets full, I make a run to my local donation store and drop off the contents. It keep clutter down and keeps myself mindful of buying items that I will actually used and not objects that catch my eye.

DIY - Donation Box

Step 1: Get a cardboard box. I use a box from an online order from Bath and Body Works. It already came cute with inside pattern. If yours does not come with a premade patterned inside, you can always cover with patterned contact paper.

Step 2: Pin the flaps down. I used gold brads and poked a hole in the corners with an ice pick.

Step 3: Put on a pretty label and add decorative border to bottom. This is the step where you can make it your own.

Pin It

Ready Recipe Roundups

2011-12-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for sensible meals that can be made from pantry items. I don't like most recipes I find on the internet, because they are just too complicated. There are some out there that are reasonable and I will definitely be linking those. I don't have the time or energy to put together 20 different ingredients and roll out dough or any of the other "chef" duties like that. I am far from being a culinary chef, nor do I want to be. However, I do like to provide good meals that my husband and children will eat. So I am calling on all my followers to help me with this post. I want you to please comment any good recipes you have tried lately with your family and if you could link the recipe to this post. I will be adding some new ones that I try with my family as well. Hopefully together we can build an awesome collection of "REAL" recipes that any common mother or wife can make for their family.

Easy Taco Bake

How Not to Fail at a New Year's Resolution

2011-12-27T05:31:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is sadly over with, it is time to turn our efforts to the New Year. Everyone is talking about their New Year Resolution. I truly hate this time of year, because you say your going to do something and inevitably it will fail because it is set up to fail from the beginning. Let me explain. First, you are supposed to set some lofty goal for the entirety of the upcoming year. Tell me how this is supposed to succeed. A goal for an entire year are you kidding me! Second, you are supposed to stick with this goal all year and hopefully (I do mean HOPEFULLY) reach it by the end of the year. There is no system here. There is no baby steps to success. I have always been an advocate of system and procedure. So here is my go at a procedure to help you and ME reach our lofty New Year's Resolutions.

Step 1: Set your Resolution - For me I am sticking to the tried and true lose weight and exercise more resolution.

Step 2: Break your Resolution into manageable steps according to months - For example, I would say want to lose 10 pounds in the first month by eating correctly.

Step 3: Break your Monthly steps into manageable daily steps - For example, I might create a meal plan that will help me keep on track.

Step 4: Keep record of your progress - For example, I could record my weight and food intake in a daily food journal

Step 5: Reward, Reward, Reward - every time you reach your monthly goal - reward yourself. - For example, I might buy myself a new outfit at the end of the month if I lose my 10 pounds I had set out to do.

Now that you have taken the time to strategically plan out your New Year's Resolution, and detail out your carry out plan, you will be more likely to stay on track and gain at least a portion of your New Year's Goals.

I hope this has helped you! To further help you I have created an easy to use New Year's Resolution Planning Guide that outlines these five steps. Just click on the link below.

New Year's Resolution Planning Guide

The Season for Family

2011-12-24T10:29:00.000-08:00

So for the next few days of the holiday season, I will be focused on only one thing - FAMILY. You know keeping a beautiful house and staying organized can bring peace to your life, but without family to enjoy all your peace with then what good is it really? As Christmas Day soon approaches, I am reminded that family is the most important gift you can receive during the season. As I was reading, The Cajun Night Before Christmas to my 7 year old, it dawned on me that sometimes I tend to be obsessed with the wrong things in life. I obsess about making things perfect and I sometimes forget how perfect my life already is. So here's to a few days off to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Don't worry I won't be gone long - just enough time to refuel and relax. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Socks Meet Your Match

2011-12-23T04:23:00.000-08:00

I believe everyone knows the feeling that the dreaded "laundry day" induces. Sitting around mindlessly folding and storing, folding and storing, folding and storing laundry. You think that would be enough to make laundry day bad. It gets worse. My worst enemy, socks. Only four people live in my household, but somehow there is a mountain of socks to match up. You know what I am about to tell you next right, THEY NEVER ALL HAVE THEIR PAIR. Can I tell you how irritated this makes an obsessive compulsive person like me! Well, I am not going to battle this out any longer. I will safety pin those little buggers together with their pair before I put them in the wash. I keep a baby food jar of safety pins in my laundry room and I just safety pin as I am sorting the loads of laundry. I take this same baby food jar and put the safety pins back in after I have folded the pairs together. Some people like to leave the socks safety pinned together in their drawers, but I have a three year old with nimble hands and I don't want him poking himself with a "safety" pin. Anyway, this makes for a great little system and never am I to play mix and match with the sock monster again.

By the way to my personal friends out there, if you have empty baby food jars that you are dying to get rid of, send them my way, I have some ideas I would like to try on them. Thanks.

Pin It

Cleaning for Less

2011-12-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

Okay so I just had to repost this little tidbit from Organized Home. A great way to save money and keep cleaning tasks to a minimal - create your own cleaning wipes. This was easy to do and took very little time. The total price I paid to make mine were $3.00, and I got a whole lot more wipes than what comes in those on-the-shelf wipe containers.

Click on the link to take you to their website. Thanks Organizedhome.com - I just love your site!!!
Organized Home Cleaning Wipes

Menu Planning for the Teacher in You

2011-12-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

My first post: MENU PLANNING FOR THE TEACHER IN YOU

I struggle coming up with new menu ideas for everyday of the week and every week of every month of every year. I find myself cooking spaghetti about 3 times a month, (it is what we are having tonight, ughhh). Now I love spaghetti as much as any carb-craving female, but I heard my husband silently moan two weeks ago and I could tell he doesn't always share my enthusiasm. This is when I realized something had to be done. I don't have a lot of time to browse recipe collections or even concoct my own. But what I do have access to is tons of SCHOOL MENUS. Now I know what you are thinking, OMG she is cooking school lunches for her family, what kind of mom is she? School lunches have come a long way in 30 years. They are now healthy, nutritious, and variety packed. I take the best of these menus and make my own for each month. What is great is they are seasonal as well! I occasionally throw in the newest recipe from the internet to spice things up as well. I plan out my menus a month at a time and grocery shop based off of these menus. By planning your meals you save yourself the trouble of coming home to starving children and not having anything defrosted because you don't know what to cook. You also save tons of money while shopping. I can't express the peace that just meal planning alone has brought to my life. I hope it will bring peace and serenity to yours as well. Use the free monthly meal planner to help you get started.

Simple Order Monthly Menu Planner