Tips, Ideas, and Time Savers for Busy Women

5X5 to the Rescue

2022-01-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

For the new year I decided I wanted to get my weekends back and not spend them cleaning and doing laundry the whole two days.

I would spend most of Sunday doing laundry meanwhile doing a whole week's housework and meal prep. Don't get me wrong, I still do a couple of loads of laundry and a little housework but it's not nearly as bad as it was before Christmas.

A couple of months ago I learned about Stephanie's 5X5 from the Secrect Slob and it is a game changer! 25 minutes, 5 minutes per room or task and that's it! Clink the link below to watch this amazing strategy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T-wIfEpYrw

I figured I can clean for 25 minutes at a time even during the week. So I decided to do a 5X5 Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Every time I do a 5X5 I always include the kitchen, vacuuming, and dusting because it is much easier when those items are being maintained rather than only once a week. The other 10 minutes are designated for deep cleaning and the bathrooms (on Saturday). I plan ahead which deep cleaning activities I plan to do for 5 minutes each. Deep cleaning has always been a problem for me, I never feel as though I have time to get it done. Believe it or not, 5 minutes really does help even if I have to come back to finish it another day.

Yesterday I did a 5X5 (Kitchen clean-up, vacuum, dust, 2 bathrooms), 5 minutes each.

Ready or Not, Back to Work Tomorrow

2022-01-02T17:48:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I am back to work. This is where obstacles tend to start throwing themselves in front of me and my routines. I feel ready (for the most part) to go back to school tomorrow. Today I worked on finishing my meal prep, relaxing, a load of laundry, working on my calendar, reading a book, and ending the day making dinner for the family.

To prepare for tomorrow the first thing I did was look at my calendar. Tomorrow is a staff development day which means planning, data meetings, and prep for class. I also need to take Claire to the orthodontist and then run to the meat market.

Looking at my calendar is vital because it not only tells me what needs to be done and where I need to be but helps me prepare for food that needs to be brought so I stay true to my KETO program. Since tomorrow is our first day back to work and a staff development day, we will be meeting to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. I can tell you pretty much all of the food that will be served is be a NO NO for me so I'm going to need to bring food along with me to eat so I don't stray. Tomorrow for breakfast I will bring KETO zucchini bread, and Greek yogurt with almond butter, a few blue berries and almonds sprinkled on top. This should make me satisfied and keep me out of donuts!

As you can see I have my zucchini bread and yogurt portioned out along with my turkey, avocado and cheese wrap for lunch. Plus I have some dips and pre-portioned carrots ready to go so in the morning, it's grab and go when I make my lunch. Also, I'm super excited about the tortillas I have my wraps in. They are a net 4 carbs! I've seen other with lower carb count I'd like to try as well.

I'm prepared and it's only 7:30pm. Though when I go into to bed tonight I will not be able to sleep because my brain will not shut off because tomorrow is the first day back to work after two weeks off.

On a side note:

I made a delicious taco bar tonight for dinner. This is always a crowd pleaser. Everyone gets what they want when I make this. My oldest has a quesadilla, my other two girls enjoy bean and cheese burritos, my husband makes a burrito full of taco meat and I have a KETO friendly taco salad. The leftovers will probably be used tomorrow night for omelets.

My yummy taco salad full of all the goodies!

FLY

2022-01-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Today is New Year's Day 2022...Happy New Year! Have you ever read the book "One Word that will Change Your Life?" It is easily found on Amazon both in paper and digital. It is really a thought provoking book.

I've been thinking the past couple of weeks what my word this year will be. I struggled because it seemed as though the word would need to encompass so much. I thought of building better relationships in my family, time management, finding joy in the small things, and taking care of myself. Then it came to me, FLY! I know to some of you this word may not have anything to do with the list above, but actually it is all encompassing. I've been following the Flylady system (flylady.net) since 2002 and the premise of the system is to FLY (Finally Loving Yourself). It came to me one day that if I FLY all the important things will naturally fall into line.

Areas I have been struggling in is: keeping my house clean and organized, taking care of my body, putting my relationship with God first, and building up my relationships. I have a solid plan for the first 3 but still need to plan and implement the last.

I've always managed to keep a fairly neat house but I have struggled with deep cleaning and being able to do anything on the weekends because I'm always working on housework, laundry, and meal prep. Which of course brings out the martyr in me and no one likes that me, not even me. Did I mention I have 4 kids, 6 dogs, 1 cat, and live in the middle of dusty, windy fields and work 50 plus hours a week? I think I have come up with a solution to lessen my weekend exhaustion and give me back some time which should help me work toward spending more quality time with family and friends.

As I've said I have spent the past 20ish years loosely following Flylady's system, which is most excellent. I learned to make meal plans from her and what it means to be okay with imperfect. But I have had trouble with house upkeep not to mention deep cleaning. Enter Stephanie from the Secret Slob (youtuber and blogger). She introduced me to the 5X5 method. This is when you pick 5 rooms/to do's you need to work on and set your timer for 5 minutes for each. You work on it for ONLY the 5 minutes and move to the the next. If you finish a room or to do in less than 5 minutes you can return to a room you need to continue to work on till that time is up. See the link below to watch Stephanie explain it! I just love her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smXBzOq8c5c

I figure I can work on my house 25 minutes at a time a few times a week and even hit some deep cleaning while I do this. Also, I use an app called Tody to hep me manage when things around my house should be completed. I did pay a small amount for this app but it was totally worth it to me.

As I mentioned I also intend to work on taking care of me. This means my health. I have been following the keto lifestyle for a bit but since COVID began, I have found it hard to be consistent. I am ready to not only work on being committed to my healthy eating but also work on strengthening my body 15 minutes at a time.

I have scheduled time with God each morning for twenty minutes each morning.

I am using a daily planner to help track my progress and to keep me on track. I will go into much more depth on each subject, and show you the planner, what I'm using to exercise, share how I meal plan, how I'm using the 5X5's, my plans for family quality time, and the resources I use to help me in my journey.

Continue to follow me on my journey! Post below to share if you have a word for this year or areas of your life you'd like to concentrate on.

Top Ramen on Steriods

2013-06-26T06:29:00.002-07:00

Top Ramen is one of those things I never crave but when I do eat it, its really good stuff. Of course one of the most awesome things about it is the price and my kids love love love it. It is definitely a great go to meal when you have had a busy night and don't want to or have the money to run to a fast food joint. I have created a way to serve top ramen that is just delicious.

Cook your noodles using the instructions.
Then pull your noodles out and place in a shallow bowl using a slotted spoon. You don't want a soup here, just the noodles.

Then top with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese. This is yummy by its self!
Then fry a couple of eggs in butter with a little salt and pepper. You want the eggs cooked but leave the egg yolk runny, I believe this is called over medium.

Top your noodle and cheese deliciousness off with the eggs. OMG!!!! The runny yolk makes the most wonderful sauce when you cut into the egg. And another awesome thing...this is still a very cheap meal, its just top ramen on steroids.

Days 5 & 6 Tupperware and Entertainment Center

2013-06-23T10:35:00.001-07:00

On day 5 I cleaned out the tupperware. I tossed any lid or container that had no partner. I made a lot more space in my plastic lid bag and I can find lids much quicker. Much easier stacking for the containers too.
Then I tackled the entertainment center. I organized all of the dvds, video game equipment. And I took all the vhs tapes out because we do not have a vhs player hooked up to the livingroom. Believe it our not we do still own one but it is in storage and will probably hook it up to a tv in one of the kids rooms when we move. The vhs tapes will be located near it then.

Day 4 - Under the Kitchen Sink

2013-06-18T19:06:00.001-07:00

So I tackled underneath the kitchen sink today. Although it seems as though I did not discard a lot of items I still was able to organize under the sink and re-familiarize myself with the contents in there. I even added a large bag of cat food to the cabinet that had been sitting out in my kitchen.

Here is the before of my crazy messy under the sink cabinet.

As you can see it isn't any less full, but is more organized and I know whats down there now.

De-cluttering Day 3

2013-06-17T15:12:00.002-07:00

So I decided to tackle the bathroom today. I de-cluttered both the medicine cabinet and the 1 drawers we have in the bathroom. I really didn't toss a lot but reorganized both the spaces and now I know what I can expect to find in them now.

I did throw out some of the things in here or find the things in here a new home.

This was one messy drawer.

Looks better. It is minus a curling iron and some trash.

This is very de-cluttered if I do say so myself.

30 Days of De-Cluttering - Day 1

2013-06-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

So we are living in an apartment right now and going through the forever process of purchasing a house and land. I've decided that before we move and before I begin to seriously pack I would like to de-clutter my problem areas around the apartment. As you know there are certain spots in your home that seem to be magnets for stuff, especially when you need to do a stash and dash because company is coming over. I thought rather than have one big marathon de-cluttering day or even week, I'm going to break up my de-cluttering into thirty days. Now these may not be 30 consecutive days, but 30 days non the less.
So the areas I have decided tackle are:

1. Master bath medicine cabinet                    2. Paper stack on paper
3. My closet shelf                                          4. Box on top of our amiore
5. Babys' closet shelf                                     6. My bathroom cabinet & drawer
7. Box 1 on top of my dresser                       8. The dining table and black bag
9. Entertainment center drawers                    10. My dresser drawers
11.Box 2 on top of my dresser                       12. My nightstand drawers
13.Tupperware container in pantry                 14. Wicker Chest
15.Spice basket                                             16. Under kitchen sink
17.Above pantry cabinet                                18. Dress-up box
19.Barbie box                                                20. Top shelf in hall closet
21.Middle shelf in hall closet                           22. Bottom shelf in hall closet
23.Extra closet in my bedroom                       24. Girls' book shelves
25.Toy box 1 - Cayleen                                 26. Toy box 2 - Cayleen
27.Under my bed                                           28. Cull my clothes
29.Top of amoire                                           30. Paperwork in closet

Because it is my goal to get rid of some stuff I'm going to have to make it my goal to donate stuff on a weekly basis so I don't have a bunch of stuff hanging around the house that will some how magically make it back into some spot I have already uncluttered.

Day 1

My catch all table and the black bag

The first area to de-clutter was the table because having stuff piled up on it has put a kink in our nightly dinner plans. It is easier to sit the girls around the mess and to sit in the living room to eat my food. Terrible habit we have gotten into so it was the first to tackle. On the table we have obviously laundry baskets (some things are really hard to find homes for in apartments with limited space), library books, school paperwork, ziploc baggies, and the dreaded black bag I brought home from school. More paperwork, dishes, and other odds and ends are in this bag.

Reclaimed Table

Ta da!!!!! Now we have no excuse to not eat together at the table. I put away everything in the dreaded black bag, which was a little challenging and then designated it our official library book bag for the summer. Hopefully that will limit stray books all over the house when it is time to return them. Isn't my table nice when you can see the whole thing?

Designated book bag

Day 2 of De-Cluttering - The Hall Closet

2013-06-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hit the hall closet today. As you can see by the shelf it is pretty jammed packed full of stuff. I'm proud it only took me a few minutes to clean it out. I have designated it the girls' coloring book, crayon, and puzzle spot. Those items are always floating around here without a real home


Scary isn't it?

Isn't it wonderful? Only 2 more shelves to go. All of my extra bedding is on the bottom of the closet.

Routines and Chores

2013-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

While I was going crazy this past year my husband in his wisdom reminded me of the story of Moses. Moses was trying to take care of all things all on his own and was being completely unsuccessful in everything. It was pointed out to him that there was no way he could do it all and then he began to delegate responsibilities. After he handed out some of his own responsibilities to others, Moses was very successful in the things he had more time for.
This past school year I have spent my week nights exhausted and my weekends even more exhausted because I was cooking, cleaning up, doing laundry, and the housework on my own while working at least 50 hours outside the home. I absolutely hated to go on family outings because it put me behind on everything. It isn't really my family's fault, I've never delegated anything to them before. One of my goals this summer was to create routines and chores for myself and my children and to put them into practice during the summer so they are second nature to us by the time we return to school.
I saw the idea of picture frames somewhere on Pinterest. They are great because you can use the dry erase markers on them and change out the pages in the frames fairly easily. I created a frame for each family member and then one for weekly shared household chores. I've hung these in my kitchen where everyone can easily see their routines and chores. These could definitely be put on a fancy scrapbooking paper or stationary to make it look fancier.


Dollar Store frames and copy paper written on (don't laugh at my writing or attempt of decoration)

These are my daily routines and a laundry schedule.

Chores - I write names next to the chore weekly.

Claire's daily routines

Cayleen's daily routines with pictures

Cassidy's daily routines

Summer Goals for Organizing My Home and Life

2013-06-12T14:10:00.002-07:00

Blogging is something I have not had time for since I started work last year. I've missed it a lot. Well, I'm off for the summer and am ready to try and organize my life and home so I can blog during the school year as well as the summer.
Things seemed so much easier when I work before. Of course I was five years younger, had 2 fewer kids, and had a job I didn't have to take home with me at night. I am determined to reach the goals I am setting this summer to increase the quality of my life when I come home from work. I love my job but not how overwhelmed I am when I get home at night and on the weekends. So here you are my goals to accomplish this summer and I will be giving step by step progress on my accomplishments.

My Beautiful Kids

1. 30 Days of De-cluttering

2. Create a Chore/Routine List for my family

3. Start preparing freezer meals for busy school nights

4. Pack up the apartment in small steps for our move in a few months

5. For quality time with my kids - try one new activity a week that is inexpensive or free

6. As a personal goal - Go to the gym 2 times a week (this I think will be the hardest)

Cherry Peach Cobbler

2012-07-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

I created this recipe for desert on July 4th. I wanted to make a dessert but had no eggs leftover after the potato salad. It was made from the pantry. Very easy to make and it turned out super yummy and only requires 4 ingredients! We ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

Cherry Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of sliced peaches in juice (15 oz.)
half stick of melted butter
1 can of cherry pie filling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9X13 cake pan. Mix together the cake mix, peaches and juice (I chopped my peaches up a bit so they weren't so big) they are canned in and butter. Spread into cake pan. Top with cherry topping. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Would be great warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Monthly to Do - July

2012-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

This month is the month to evaluate clothing for start of the school year. Make a list for each person in your family. What do they need? Socks, underwear, shorts, shirts, pants, shoes, uniforms, back packs, lunch bags, hair accesories, dresses? This is also a good time to start stocking up on school supplies.

Weekly Menu - June 4th - 10th

2012-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sweet and Sour Chicken Burritos (pinned from justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com)
http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=936&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+justgetoffyourbuttandbake%2FcgWF+%28Get+Off+Your+Butt+and+BAKE%21%29
Chili Verde / Tortillas / Spanish Rice Cut a boneless pork roast into bite size cubes, place in crockpot, sprinkle with garlic salt, pour chili verde salsa on top. Turn crockpot on high and let cook one hour. Serve in or with flour tortillas with cheese, sour cream along side spanish rice.

Spaghetti / Garlic Bread / Cesar Salad
Crockpot Pizza Casserole (pinned from momswithcrockpots.com)
http://momswithcrockpots.com/2012/02/crock-pot-pizza-casserole/

Pulled Pork Sandwiches / Coleslaw
Chef Salad

throw your choice of lettuce on the bottom and top with cubed cheddar, deli meat, tomato, green onion, egg, radish, cucumber, and croutons...top with fresh ranch

Deviled Ham and Scrambled Egg Sandwiches / Sliced Cucumber Salad

Monthly To Do - June

2012-06-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

There are two important things I do in June. First is make our bi-yearly dentist appointments for check-ups. I always find it easiest to remember to do this in January and June.
The second thing I like to make sure to do is check fall recreational sports for deadlines, fees, and schedules. Many fall sports have final sign-ups in June. Don't let your kids miss out because you missed the registrations.

Orange Cake Recipe

2012-05-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Orange Cake

Ingredients:

1 zest of Whole Orange
Juice of 1 Orange
3 Eggs
3/4 cup of Honey
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tspn Vanilla
1/2 tspn Salt
1 tspn Baking Powder
1/2 cup Canola Oil
2 cups Flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare cake pan (13X9) with butter and flour. Whisk or sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In seperate bowl combine all other ingredients. Pour over flour mixture and mix until completely combined. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into cake and comes out clean. See directions below for frosting.

Orange Glaze Frosting

Place 1 box of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add one tsp of vanilla and 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice and begin mixing. Slowly add more orange juice teaspoon by teaspoon until the mixture has a frosting like thickness and texture. Spread over cake evenly.

Must Have Pantry Spices and Condiments

2012-05-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Below are my absolute must haves when it comes to spices and condiments. I combine my seasonings and condiments in all kinds of ways: to make salad dressings, marinades, rubs for meat, and of course to add wonderful flavors to my meals.

If you want to start using your own seasonings rather than relying on packets of seasoning I really recommend stocking up on these go to spices first and then adding as you become more familiar with the spice world. Spices can be expensive, as a way to save money I like to buy my spices from my store's bulk section. Dollar stores also carry a variety of spices too so don't count them out. Seasonings can really turn something good into GREAT.

Again the condiment list below are items I keep regularly stocked in my pantry. I never buy salad dressings anymore as I prefer to make my own. I get to control my ingredients and sodium this way. All of the condiments are really inexpensive and last a really long time as you don't typically use a lot in one use. Try and experiment with making your own salad dressings. I recommend trying about 1 tsp of vinegar to 1/2 a cup of oil and add more if you need it. You know what the saying is...you can always add more, but you can't take it away. I like to add onion powder and a spice like thyme or oregano to my dressings, and also a little salt and pepper to taste. Combine your ingredients and whisk whisk whisk...or as I like to do put it in a small mason jar and shake shake shake! See below for my family's favorite vinaigrette.

Spices:

Garlic salt

Onion powder

oregano

cumin

chili powder

paprika

thyme
chicken bullion
beef bullion
brown sugar (not a spice but I use this a lot in rubs)

condiments:

balsamic vinegar
cider vinegar
worstecesire sauce
olive oil
canola oil
lime juice
lemon juice
grape or strawberry jelly (not jam)
honey

My Family's Favorite Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil or canola oil
1 tsp jelly
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

combine all ingredients by whisking or shaking in closed container. Taste for seasoning and toss with salad.

Weekly Menu May 28th - June 3rd

2012-05-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm bringing weekly menus back! Look for a list of my family's weekly menu with links and recipes included. Very family friendly. The menu has a blend of seven recipes for slow cookers, homemade, fast and easy, and what I like to call my cheat meals for busy nights.
Stew Over Mashed Potatos / Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs of chuck steak or other steak cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of carrots (baby or whole carrots peeled and sliced)
3 stalks of celery sliced
1 small onion diced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cubes of beef bullion
6 cups of water

2 tablespoons flour
6 cups of prepared mashed potatos
1 tablespoon oil

Instructions:
Pour oil into dutch oven then add carrots, onion, and celery. Sautee for about a minute then add steak and seasonings (exept bay leaf). Brown meat stirring frequently. After meat is browned add the water, beef bullion, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Afer stew has come to a full boil lower to a simmer and let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. To thicken stew SLOWLY sprinkle flour into stew whisking to make sure there are no lumps...do not dump the flour in all at once or you will end up with big lumps of flour in your stew.

To serve place your prepared mashed potatos at the bottom of each bowl and serve stew over the top. Serves about 6 people.

Chili Dogs

Hamburger Helper / Green Beans

BBQ Ribs / Roasted Potatos / Salad (see my May 5th 2011 Blog link below for recipe)http://busymomstipsandideas.blogspot.com/2011/05/slow-roasted-ribs-with-spice-rub.html

Chicken Pot Pie

Sweet & Tangy Meatballs over Rice / Broccoli (pinned from the Six Sister Stuff blog)http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/06/slow-cooker-sweet-and-tangy-meatballs.html

Macaroni and cheese / Fish Sticks

Crescent Chicken - Recipe Review

2012-05-23T12:50:00.002-07:00

comfyinthekitchen.com

Crescent Chicken

(serves 6-8 rolls)

1 (8 or 6 jumbo count) package refrigerator crescent rolls

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can of milk (using soup can)

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare soup using milk and set aside. Separate crescent rolls. Spoon chicken and cheese onto each crescent; roll and seal to enclose filling. Place in a 9×13 baking dish. Pour soup over rolls. Bake at 350 uncovered for 30 mins.

Made this a couple of weeks ago and my family liked it really well. The chicken was nested in the crescent rolls alongside cheese (for my casserole I used motzerella cheese) and the gravy was very creamy but did not make the bread mushy. Very tastey and filling. I doubled the recipe because I have a larger family to feed, but I did have a few leftover. This meal is also a frugal meal as it only took a couple of chicken breasts to fill all those crescent rolls. This will definitely be a do over meal for us. Check out comfyinthekitchen.com for lots of pics along side the directions.

UPDATED - 20 FREE things to do with your family

2012-05-21T10:37:00.003-07:00

Updated!!!
I'm resending this out from last year and have added a few extra ideas because let's face it, we all need ideas on entertaining our kiddos during the long summer days.

School is out and the kids are starting to get bored. Try one or all of these FREE suggestions to entertain the kids or just you.

1. Check your city's recreation website for free movies in the park normally played during the summer months.

2. Get your digital camera and go on an alphabet hunt. Starting with the letter A take pictures beginning with that letter all the way to Z.

3. Camp in your own backyard. Set the tent up and roast some marshmallows.

4. Write a poem together as a family.

5. Have a WII Bowling tournament.

6. Bake cookies and take them to a neighbor.

7. Pick an object such as a hula hoop or stick and play object charades. Use the object to act out something and everyone guesses what you are doing.

8. Use magazines to make a collage of favorite things and places.

9. Make a couple of batches of play dough and have fun.

10. Find some mismatched socks, buttons, markers, yarn, and whatever else. Create puppets and have a puppet show.

11. Set out the good dinner ware, dress up and light a candle for dinner even if its just macaroni and cheese.

12. Act out your favorite Children's book

13. Turn on a family favorite movie and have a picnic on the floor while you watch.

14. Play tag in the front yard with the sprinklers on.

15. Play beauty shop. Hair, facials, manicures, and pedicures.

16. Check out a book about birds from the library and bird watch in your own neighborhood.

17. Pick a person to make a card for or write a letter to as a family, mail or hand deliver it.

18. Have a tea party, use cookie cutters to make pretty fancy sandwiches.

19. Turn on the radio and play freeze dance.

20. Make a family mural on the sidewalk with chalk.

A few More Ideas:

1. Have a serious water fight in the yard using water balloons, water guns, and/or sponges.

2. Using things found around the house create an obstacle course and hold your first annual family fun day race.

3. Save the seeds from your veggies and fruits and start a garden with them.

4. And an idea from ny sister in law....turn off the lights and play indoor hide and go seek in the dark.

Laundry and Dishes Tips - Save Time and $$$$$

2012-05-09T20:29:00.002-07:00

Do you wash load after load of towels every week? Do the dishes pile up in the blink of an eye? If you have a large family the two answers to these questions are probably a dreaded yes. I have four children and it is like pulling teeth to get the kids to reuse the same bath towel or cup more than once. Towels normally end up somewhere in the house on the floor. Just think four kids that shower daily using one towel each equals twenty-eight towels per week!!! And think how many more towels your kids use during the summer for swimming and water activities.
I have an easy solution to cut back on the towel usage in your household. Buy each person in your household two towels for showering. Each person gets the two towels in their assigned color. Let your family know that you have assigned two days a week as laundry days for towels (Wednesday and Sunday for example) and they are responsible for getting them to the laundry room on those days or they don't get washed. Also let them know it is up to them to hang their towels up after use because if they both end up on the floor they will not be washed till towel days. If you have guests over I would consider buying a handful of white towels for them. White is great because they can be bleached when needed to keep them bright. Just make sure the rest of the household knows they are completely off limits. Use this system and you'll cut back your towel washing from 28 towels to only 8 towels weekly. WOW!!!
You can use this same system for swimming and water activities. Buy one or two beach towels per child and again let them know when laundry day is for them and that they have to use the towels until that day. Just a little money out of pocket to buy everyone new towels and you will be on your way to saving time, money, water, and energy.
If you dishes are piling up this same system can be applied. Buy everyone one and I mean only one each of a matching plastic colored plate, cup, and bowl. The bowl, cup, and plate can be used for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is optional, but I prefer to set a table with regular dishes at dinner time. Each child can reuse their cups all day long...if they switch their beverages during the day it only takes a minute to wash and rinse the cup. It can be up to you if you want the kids to wash their bowl and plate or load them into the dishwasher. If you choose not to, you're still saving yourself on tons of dishes because each child isn't pulling out several dishes each day to eat and drink out of. Plus think of the added benefit...now when a cup is left on a table or somewhere else the color tells on who left it there. No more kids denying responsibilty for leaving dishes out.
Hope these ideas help keep you sane. Hopefully the only hard part in all of this is assigning who gets what color.

Got Leftovers???

2012-05-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

Don't waste money by letting those leftovers sit in the fridge uneaten. Here are some ideas on how to use some of those leftovers up. As a matter of fact when I'm planning my meals I plan on using leftovers later in the week. Proteins are one of the most expensive items on my grocery bill so I'm saving money by making sure there is no waste. Also, by using a meat that has already been cooked, I'm saving time in the kitchen at least a couple of times a week, so many times I'll purposely make sure I have that leftover meat. These ideas will make completely different meals out of the leftovers and your family will love them.

Chicken - A little bit of chicken goes a long way in chicken and dumplings or even chicken noodle soup, my favorite thing to do is completely pick over a roasted chicken for meat to make these two family favorites. Use leftover chicken breasts to make a chicken salad (chicken, grapes,green onion, cilantro, nonfat yogurt, mayo, curry powder, salt and pepper) place on lettuce tossed with some lemon juice and olive oil. Try chicken quesadillas with your leftovers, change them up a bit by adding thinly sliced granny smith apples.

Mashed Potatos - Make a complete meal using those leftover mashed potatos. Spread mashed potatos in a baking dish and top with cooked seasoned ground beef, drained canned corn, and shredded cheddar cheese to make a yummy and easy shephard's pie (have leftover meatloaf along with your mashed potatos? Crumple it up and add it instead of cooking up more ground beef). Or you can make a completely different side dish by making mashed potato pancakes...try this link for a yummy recipe: http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/03/23/easy-mashed-potato-pancakes/.

Pork or Beef Roasts - Everyone knows that leftover roasts make a fabulous BBQ sandwich the next night, which my 7 year old loves, but you can try one of these ideas too. Shred up your roast like you normally would for sandwiches but instead of adding BBQ sauce add green chili salsa and warm up, add to your tacos or burritos. Make a soup by cooking egg noodles in beef broth and top with the shredded roast.

Pork Chops - Create breakfast for dinner by reheating those chops placing over hashbrowns and then placing a over medium fried egg on top. Or cut pork chops up into to tiny bites and place in egg fried rice. Cook rice according to directions on package, in another pan scramble an egg up in some canola oil and remove from pan. Remove egg and add more oil...add some sliced green onion and garlic for about a minute, add rice and egg, add a little soy sauce.

Monthly To Do - May

2012-05-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Stock up on those summer supplies. Stores are stocked up on summer supplies and there is lots to choose from, wait too long and you will lose your selection. Things you might want to purchase:

Bathing suits
Floaties for kids
Sun Block
Bug Repellent
Beach towels
Sun Hats
Beach bags
Water Shoes

Be Prepared

2012-04-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am expecting a baby in the very near future and I've been preparing for when it is that blessed time for my husband and I to head off to the hospital. As I've been preparing for this I've been thinking about how we should always be prepared to be called away from home unexpectedly. A family member could become ill, an unexpected business trip could come up, or what about an unexpected surprise get away with your special someone. Should any of these events come up how long would it take for you to get out the door and would you be able to do so feeling comfortable you remembered everything?
Below I have compiled a list of 7 things to do to prepare for a quick get away should the occasion arrive. I reccomend completing the list, place it into a binder, and place the binder into a central easy to find location.

1. Keep a family calender with all family member's appointments, sporting events, and schedules up to date and handy. If you have someone that has come into your home to help all they have to do is check the calendar to make sure your family is making it to where they need to be.

2. Keep 3 dinners in the freezer at all times whether homemade casseroles or store bought frozen meals. Write out what's in the freezer and the directions for heating them up and place it in your binder. Remember if you have a homemade casserole in the freezer you will need to rotate them out at least every six months.

3. Keep a list of important phone numbers posted in your binder (yours and your spouse's cell phone numbers, doctors, babysitters, family members, dentists, emergency numbers, schools). Also it is a good idea to keep your children's insurance information, allergy information, and medication information listed.

4. Write out daily routines for your family (what time you get up in the morning, what you eat for breakfast, time school starts, babies feeding schedule, time baby naps, time school gets out, time dinner is normally prepared, time for baths and bedtime). This will more than like be a list that will need to be frequently updated depending on the time of year and stages your baby and children are going through, I recommend sitting down at least every couple of months and checking this list to make sure it is accurate.

5. Write out a list of home maintenance needs. (indoor/outdoor plants when they need to be watered and how much, instructions for pet care, instructions for alarm system, how to turn off water or gas if needed).

6. Have at least 2 babysitters you can call in the event you need to leave right away, preferably babysitters that would be able to keep your kids overnight if needed.

7. Find someone in your neighborhood that would be able to watch your home and take care of the maintenance needs should you need to leave unexpectedly. Imagine

Monthly To Do - April

2012-04-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Prepare to enjoy the upcoming warm weather. Clean the patio and patio furniture. Visit your nursery to pick out some flowers to plant in pots or your flowerbeds.