Times and seasons

Ok, I actually really love technology. But, I do have some regrets. Such as the amount of time I spent blogging when The Girl was a baby. I don't regret recording so much of her life, but I definitely could have been more productive during nap time, or at least taken more naps myself.

Now, as a sleep deprived soon-to-be mother-of-three, and without a computer most of the time, I find that I am completely enjoying being offline.

Let me give you an example. When I had computer/internet access all day, I would create to-do lists on Google Calendar. I loved it! BUT, every time I got on the computer to check something off or see what else I needed to do, I would spend 10, 20, 30 minutes because I would get distracted by Amazon, Facebook, or blogs. Now I don't spend hours a day on the computer when I should be with my kids, napping, or cleaning. I might spend a few minutes in the evenings catching up, but that is pretty much it!

I have to say, going offline has been great. I don't miss it! I can still check recipes and my email on the Ipod touch, but it is too much of a pain to do much else on that thing.

One thing that I've thought about is that there are a number of things I would like to write about. I have a posts in the works about infertility/adoption/infant loss, and I want to write more about parenting, homeschooling, media, what I learn from my scriptures, and things like that, but there isn't time. So I have come to determine that this is not the season of my life for being a prolific blogger. And that is ok.

Might I add, I am much more effective without my to-do lists. :)

Montessori Monday #2

I can't find my camera. Which means I can't find the pictures I took last week. But I'll explain a couple of the things we did:

1. We played with a button snake. Great. Idea. I pretty much have bookmarked in my crafts folder every thing that Counting Coconuts has made for her son! She's my Montessori craft mom hero. You can also use the colored felt for patterns, sorting, counting, you name it! I love felt!

2. Speaking of love, and felt, I made some felt hearts for Valentine's day and painted numbers on them with fabric puff paint. I didn't add embellishments, because I wanted her to count out for herself. DD1 wasn't as interested in the hearts as I hoped. I had her use some of the googly eyes we had (that I purchased a while ago for a project I haven't started yet) to count. She played with those for an hour, and has since practiced sorting them by size. It made a cute picture. Wish I could find my camera...

3. We also played play-doh. A mini-rolling pin and a variety of cookie cutters are on my wish list. :)

4. DD1 started showing interest in writing her letters. I can't get her to hold her pencil even remotely correctly, but she'll draw a few letters, and they aren't too bad. To help with her fine motor, I made some stencils out of old cottage cheese lids. I'll have to post a tutorial after I find my camera. Hmmm. Where is that?

I'm linking to:

Meal plan MONDAY!

We'll see how this goes:
(Check G-Cal at the bottom for recipes)

Meatless Monday: Blue-ribbon Pancakes & Eggs.

Italian Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs w/ salad & garlic bread

Whatever Wednesday: LEFTOVERS!

Soup & Salad Thursday: Spinach lentil soup & Broccoli Salad

Grillin' Friday: Steaks & potatoes

Saturday: I decided the last Sat. of every month I would clean out my fridge and we'd eat anything that hasn't gone bad!

Super Sunday: Mom & Dad's for a B-day dinner! (Yep, my Birthday is coming up!)

Food Nanny.

I was watching PBS last weekend and came across THIS show. It's kind of like Super Nanny, except she comes in and helps with meal planning, cooking, dealing with picky eaters, and things like that. She has great ideas, and one that I am going to incorporate to hopefully make meal planning easier is having a theme for each night. She says that this creates something predictable for your family and creates excitement about dinner time. I know that having meals together is so important, so hopefully this will help me and my family.

Here is my plan:

Sunday: crock pot
Monday: Meatless or breakfast for dinner
Tuesday: Try something new/international cuisine
Wednesday: Whatever Wednesday=leftovers!
Thursday: Italian
Friday: Soup & Salad
Saturday: Grilling

I may have to adjust things as I get going. I'm still working on keeping my monthly grocery budget at $250 or less, and I may actually make it this month!

I think I will also plan days to make home-made snacks, like granola, muffins, pita chips, things like that. Or maybe I will do those kind of things on Saturday morning. How do you organize your meal planning and menu?

Nesting...

I think that my motivation to work on this blog more was partially fueled by my nesting instinct. I'm about 37 weeks along with baby #2, and am really loving being "domestic" (running a house well, being a good mommy and wife, improving my talents, learning new skills, etc...).

That's why I had grand ideas for this blog. I still have grand ideas. But I'm tired. And the Hub is going out of town for a few weeks, followed by a new baby and our computer needing to be sent to Gateway to get a new graphics card, which will take 2 weeks. So I'm sorry for not posting more frequently. But that is our life and we still love it.

I did want to mention some thoughts I've had on finances.

First, in reading the Book of Mormon at the beginning of Alma, the people in Zarahemla start treating each other terribly, doing all sorts of terrible things, and rejecting God. Alma mentions that they had begun "worshipping idols." When reading that I thought "I don't worship idols. I don't even know anyone who does." Then I thought about the word worship, looked it up in the dictionary, and came to the conclusion that worshipping something is really just paying devotion to something or making it the most important thing in your life. So I thought about that and my attitude towards money. I'm striving to improve my relationship with God, but I can't do that if I am devoting myself to having more "things." I think we can see how comparing ourselves, our lives, and our standard of living to others can cause us to worship idols by losing sight of God's plan for our lives. We slowly are enslaved by the desire to possess more things. (And we don't see others for who they are as fellow children of God).

Admittedly, there are necessary purchases. I don't want anyone to think that buying things makes them an idol worshipper. But I think at least I can live more providently and self-sufficiently by really thinking about each purchase I make, asking myself why I am buying that item, and if I really need it. But also, it's good to occassionally, and when you can afford it, buy yourself or others nice things. I'd love to have a Bosch mixer. Do I need one? No. Do I need photoshop, or a piano? No. Can I afford those things now? No. But those things are on my list of things that, when the $ is there, I would like to purchase.

Hopefully I'll be able to post at least once a week the next few weeks, but I'll be taking some time away from the internet once the baby gets here. (I have a feeling sleep will be much more important then!!)

Week 3 O.O.

Here are the pictures of o.o. week 3! Organizing the kid's room closet and dresser top. Why do dressers at my house always collect STUFF?! I've actually already finished the closet, the challenge is to find places to put the dresser stuff!

Addicted to organizing.

I am happy to report that I am getting really great at organizing! This week it was something I looked forward to, and the time I spent organizing my kitchen cupboards was enjoyable!

It is also essential that I report on my efforts to KEEP things organized. I have a nook in my home that has always been the clutter corner. Now, whenever I walk by, I take note of anything that shouldn't be there and move it right then. It has been so cleansing for my soul to have this one spot that always looks "nice." I'll have to post a pic!!

Without further chatter, here are the pictures of the space I organized this week. I ended up cleaning, rearranging, and organizing ALL of my kitchen cupboards except for the pots/pan cupboard and under the sink (that's a whole other project!) But I realized that if I switched my food and dishes around I would be able to utilize the space more efficiently. Aren't I a smarty-pants house-wife?






Remember it isn't too late to join in on the fun of Operation Organization. Especially if you just need some motivation!!

Organizing WEEK 2!!

This week's goal is to tackle how I organize food in my kitchen. Last winter I bought a little pantry from Shopko for super cheap, and while it has been great to not store food products on my counter, I definitely need to fix the mess, and come up with a better way to store things. I think some stackable plastic shelves and some flour/sugar/etc... containers might be in order! Too bad about the spending freeze (if anyone is getting rid of anything like that, let me know!)

Here are the "BEFORE" pictures:

Operation Organization Week 1 Finale

I finally finished my week 1 goal for Op Organization! Yippee! The toddler was so cooperative today, she played a lot, and I let her get into some of the things I was junking, so she enjoyed herself too! Here are the "after" pics:




What's that? My shelf doesn't LOOK organized? Take a look again! See those shoe boxes. Yeah, that's what frugal moms on a spending freeze use. They stack nicely. I even labeled the top of each box so I know what is in them. The bottom shelf is my craft/sewing stuff (hey, I have aspirations, and Jamie and Shalyse I know your prize is overdue, sorry!) as well as books that I read a lot of.

The middle shelf is hubby's junk (don't tell him I said that) but I compromised and only threw out all the recruiting stuff from the 10 billion accounting firms, only 2 of whom offered him an interview. I didn't throw out his notes from classes that he is convinced will come in handy on the CPA exams. We'll see, if he doesn't touch them in 6 months, they are SO gone! Plus the middle shelf is holding my foot spa and our humidifier. Very oddly-shaped things that don't make a space look very organized.

The third shelf has the text books and our sub-woofer/computer speakers that we only occasionally use. Sometime I'll post a pic of our computer desk so you can see why it is stored on this random shelf.

I also have to mention that with this week's challenge, I organized ALL of our files (and now have a HUGE bag of old bank statements, bills, and pay stubs to shred.) I also mostly organized our bedroom closet. I'll probably do a more in-depth job with that in a future week's goal!

And for those of you needing some tips, Melinda had a guest post some GREAT ideas on her parenting confessions blog. CHECK it out!

Baby Days

I thought my first book review should be a parenting type book. This is a book for stay-at-home parents of young kids, and I love the sub-title: tips for enjoying daily life with children under 3! How many days does daily life with young children feel like an exhausting, overwhelming, not-so-fun experience? Don't get me wrong, there are always good moments in most days, but taking care of young children can be draining. It's difficult to get things done, tantrums are hard to handle, and sometimes your 18 month old will watch 3 hours of television because you need something to distract them.

This is not really a parenting book, just ideas of how to give your young children things to do that are stimulating, entertaining, and allow you to get things done or enjoy playing with them.

Some things I like:
1. The activities are broken up into different times of day. There are activities for mornings, mealtimes, afternoons, bedtimes, etc...
2. Each activity has a "messiness quotient." IE, how much of a mess can you expect from this activity. If you don't want to take the time to clean up, then choose a low quotient activity. BUT, I would mention as my own thought, taking them time to clean up WITH your young child (the younger the better) is a good way to start them on the road to keeping things neat and clean. Make it into a game.
3. Fun activities based on age. My toddler LOVED playing in a bucket of beans with a funnel. She wasn't quite old enough to care about the play dough we made (although "making" it was fun for her).

Things I disliked:
1. You could probably find activities like most of these on the internet. But like I said, I like the descriptions by age, how messy it will get, materials you need, etc...
2. I think it's important to avoid "Supermom syndrome", where you feel like you have to be constantly busy. Kids NEED time to just go play by themselves. But I think young children often throw tantrums because they want your attention. If you are making dinner and give them a task to "help" they will feel involved and ideally whine a little less.

I also think this is a great book for Winter time, when it's too cold to go outside much. Making tents and playing make-believe would be thrilling for a 2 year old!

You can go HERE to read more reviews of this book.

Operation Organization

A GREAT Idea!

Remember how I was talking about the "attagirl" and helping motivate each other? HERE is a great chance to get motivated to declutter/organize with just a little time each week. Su-WEET!! It's nice to know there are a bunch of us out there working to make our homes a little piece of heaven!

Here is the area I will be de-cluttering this week! All those stacks of papers are hubby's school notes and such. I may be re-cycling them (shhh, dont' tell, he is convinced he will use them again someday...) Maybe I'll be a super nice wifey and have them cerlox bound... ;)





I have posts already written which are set to be posted on Monday and Tuesday, so stay tuned, leave a comment, and I'm taking a couple of days to be computer-free!

Saturday is a Special Day

Growing up, Saturday was always the day we completed the "major" chores, such as scrubbing the bathroom, cleaning out the garage, etc. So I though "what better day to share home organization/simplification tips than Saturday?"

Today's Focus: Automation.

When was the last time you forgot to brush your teeth at night? Put on deodorant (ok, I'll be honest, sometimes I forget that one in the rush to shower and get dressed before the little one notices I'm not in the same room!) But seriously, think about all the things in your life that you do without even thinking.

I think that one way to keep your home a little more clutter-free is to create routines that become automatic. There are several ways to do this. First, you could make a schedule for yourself. This might work for some people, but not for me.

You can also try the website Don't Break the Chain. With this tool, you set a goal for something you will do every day (for example, clean up the dishes right after a meal, organize the counter every night before bed, exercising, etc...). You get an "x" for every day you do the task. The point is that once you have a few days in a row, you don't want to break the chain, so you do the task to keep it going. Then pretty soon, it becomes automatic.

Or you can try what I do, which is just to organize a small part of my day with a routine. This keeps things flexible, but I always know how my mornings will go:

1. get up and eat/feed the child

2. Clean up breakfast and any leftover dishes from the night before (child sometimes "helps" with that)

3. Turn on our "Song" (Good day Sunshine by the Beatles) and make the bed together.

4. Shower (if the child needs a shower, I put her in with me, otherwise I turn on Curious George or Clifford and give her 15 minutes of cherished tv time.

5. Get ready for the day, finish up any chores.

6. If it's still too early to go outside and play, we read some books or play with toys together.

7. Go outside and play

By the time all these things are done, it's lunch and then naptime. Keeping a routine with my mornings really helps me know exactly what needs to get done and when.

Another idea to help create organization routines for yourself is to have "attagirls." When I was teaching school, I had an "attagirl" folder, that I kept positive notes from students or parents, any achievements I got, or good teaching reviews. Send yourself an email every time you do something great, or your routines work out how you envisioned. Better yet, get a friend to send you an email every time she accomplishes her goal, then you send her an attagirl email. And she can do the same for you. It's all about helping each other out!

Puffy Boxes

These would be so fun and easy to make. They could be great for little gifts for friends' birthdays, or for your kids to give for friends for Christmas. All you need is scrapbook paper and ribbon, and something to go inside. We'll probably use them for favors for my sister's baby shower this fall.

Re-use tips

I thought I would share a few things that I re-use around my home!



Yogurt, sour cream, or cottage cheese containers! These can be used for a variety of purposes! 1. Storage: forget the zip lock containers, you can easily store leftovers, cut fruit/veggies, and a variety of other fridge foods in these, as long as you have the lid!

2. Storage: if you buy bags of rice or beans, these make great containers too! Just make sure they are completely dry before storing (and only use for short-term storage!)

3. Toy storage: If your child has little toys, these are perfect.

4. Writing utensils: perfect cup for all those pens. You can even get creative and decorate!

5. Tub/water toys. Little ones LOVE dumping water. Keep a few for the bathtub. You can even poke holes in the bottom of one for a neat strainer. Or take them outside to the kiddie pool so you don't lose all your real cups!

6. Any other ideas for these containers?



Jam jars (or other glass containers with metal lids).

1. Once again: get crafty! You can make this yummy Brown sugar body scrub and store in a glass container. Or you can decorate the lids (use some goo gone if there is any glue from the label left) and give away as gifts.

2. Use them to store leftover sauces.

3. I'm out of ideas on this one: what do you do?



Any other ideas? Please post and I'll add them!! Thanks!

Kitchen Organization tips

I am definitely a clutter bug. I know the simplest way to keep my house free of clutter is to have a place for everything and everything in its place, but I simply get lazy when I get the mail or go to the library, and end up stacking everything in one place. Then, within a week or two, I get so sick of the clutter that I spend 30 minutes or more de-cluttering. So the first step in de-cluttering my kitchen is to find a place for everything. Here are some tips that help me:

1. Plastic grocery bags: use an old tissue box to store these in and recycle when the box is full! There are many different ways you can find to store plastic grocery bags. It would even be ideal to buy 1 cloth bag every time you go shopping, and gradually you will have no bags left. We also use the grocery bags for liners for the bathroom garbage can.

2. Re-arrange cabinets. The items you use most frequently should be on the bottom shelves with easy access. We have extremely limited cabinet space in our kitchen, so stacking is a big deal. Find creative ways to stack dishes to maximize space. With food, if a box is almost empty, take out the remaining food and recycle the box to make more space.

3. Use plastic containers that nest and stack easily. Don't spend tons of money on fancy plastic containers: old cottage cheese, yogurt, and sour cream tubs are perfect for leftovers!

4. Set a day every month to clean out your fridge! Say, the first Saturday of every month! If you do monthly shopping, it's great to have a clean fridge to come home to! (and it helps your home smell better also!

5. Organize recipes. I have lots of random papers all over my kitchen with recipes I printed and used. Get a three-ring binder, or transfer the recipes to index cards and file. If you use a binder, tape any cards you do have to a sheet of paper. Use dividers to organize your recipes.

6. Get rid of things you don't need. Go through your utensil drawer. Do you have 5 spatulas? Get ride of 3 of them. Do you have strange doo-hickies that you have never used? Thrown them out! I finally got rid of some shallow ceramic bowls that matched my plates because I NEVER used them! SIMPLIFY!! Ask yourself:
Is this easy to use?
Do I frequently use it?
Is it enjoyable to use - e.g., It feels good in my hand.
Is it easy to clean?
Is it easy to store and does it earns its keep in storage space?
Do I have too many of these?
Can I do this task just as easily by hand (without the messy cleanup of a machine?)
Does this tool really make the task easier and quicker, or is it just a cool gadget?
Is it uncomplicated to use, clean and care for?
Is it clean, in good shape, and ready for action?


Do you have more tips? Please leave a comment!!

I think the key is twofold: 1. Organize! 2. Keep it organized. That means every time you go in your kitchen, do a visual sweep. Is anything out of place? Are there things on the table that shouldn't be there? What can you quickly put away? It's also important to put things away right after you use them!