Start with the easy things

That pretty much sums me up...ok, maybe domestically challenged. It's no secret I'd rather play with Baby Girl than scrub a floor :) Since she's gone for four hours, four days a week, I need to look "busy"(not sure how I'm going to do when she goes to school full time next fall!) I've only been home for the past four years so  it's also a relatively new thing for me. One thing I've learned is that I'm more motivated if it actually looks like I'm accomplishing something. So, in order to do this, I start with the easiest stuff first.

Simple.

In about 30 minutes time, I can straighten up our bedroom(where I start), move onto the bathroom where I give it a quick wipe down, then onto the living room to pick up stray stuff from the 4 tornadoes that sweep through in the mornings. Add another 15 minutes onto that and I have the dishes washed, dinner thawing, and the kitchen ready for the day. Woohoo! Then it's breakfast/internet break and then I still have over 2 hours to dig into a project(usually decluttering, blah) and then playtime when Baby Girl gets home at 12:30.

This works out good because even if I have a crazy day of errands, it actually looks like something was accomplished during the day.

(please note, my house is far from perfection. There are 5 of us living in a 900 square foot home and it looks like sections of Hobby Lobby have blew up in here quite regularly :))

And that, Works for Me

Weekly goals

With the crew home for 5 days in a row, an extra guest, and a holiday, I'm left with a ton of stuff to get done this week. Goofing off was the main priority andnowI must pay the price :(

Ongoing

Declutter

Stay caught up with library books

Weekly

Take down Fall decorations

Clean out under kitchen sink

Sort paperwork and file

Fix up Christmas cards-in envelopes and addressed, waiting on a photo I need to print up

Cut coupons out and organize

Drop off expired coupons to local place that collects for military bases overseas

Start wrapping presents

Get plan going for Christmas hairbows

Get plan organized for Thing 1's birthday present(embroidery project I need to get started on)

Drop off stuff for donation

Sort video games

Start going through Baby Girls toys, some for donate, some to keep

Catch up on Netflix DVD's

Pay assorted bills

Return library books

Menu Plan Monday

We survived Turkey Day with only a couple minor disasters. Thankfully, leftovers only lasted until the next day :) Now I have a turkey carcass ready to make some broth for turkey noodle soup.

Here's the plan:

Breakfasts

Eggs

Oatmeal

Cereal

All served with fruit

Dinners

Fried chicken, mac and cheese, carrots

Turkey noodle soup, bread

Chili, cornbread

Parmesan chicken, pasta, salad

Chicken nachos with tomatoes and olives, fruit salad

Brats, fried taters, green beans

Spaghetti with Italian sausage, salad, bread

Finer Thing Friday: daredevil girls

Thing 1 is a cheerleader

Baby Girl is a daredevil

Put them together and you have this when you walk into a room!

This is definitely a Finer Thing!(although, heart stopping!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Weekly goals

Phew, so much to do this week! Extra cleaning, extra cooking! I wonder if I can pull it off without pulling out my hair?

Here's the plan

Ongoing

Decluttering

Stay caught up with library books

Buy 2 Christmas presents FINISHED!

Weekly

Finish our Thanksgiving crafts!

Take stuff to thrift store

Clean off air hockey table. again.

Clean off and dust shelving in living room

Mop

Catch up with Netflix DVDs

Clean out bottom cabinet in kitchen

Assorted errands

plus make ahead some foods for Thanksgiving(pies, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, etc)

Menu Plan monday

Wow, Thanksgiving week. It seems like it was just Halloween! I'm not planning a lot of meals because we haven't been getting through what I do have planned. So this week, I've got 5 meals on the plan and I'll figure out the other 2 if needed. Otherwise, I'm just counting on leftovers

Breakfasts

Eggs

Biscuits and gravy

Oatmeal

Cereal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Veggie soup, bread

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Taco night

Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, deviled eggs, and whatever else I make!

Grilled ribs, salad, bread

Color coded

With 5 people, our towel usage was outrageous. A few months ago, I decided to hide the towels and by everyone their own specific one to use for the week. After all, you are supposed to come out clean from a bath anyways, right?

4 towels all in a row(Thing 1's is hanging over the shower rod since it was wet)

Easy peasey. It's definitely cut down on my laundry each week!

This is posted to Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

Money Saving Mom: Free Freezer cooking book!

I don't post too many deals because I think there is enough deal blogs out there but I wanted to share something I can't wait for. When I first got started with couponing and being frugal in 2007, one of the first blogs I started reading was Money Saving Mom. She is so awesome at explaining things and covers a wide variety of topics. A few months ago, she announced that she was writing a book and it is now available for preorder!

To sweeten the deal, if you preorder, post on your blog, or Facebook, Tweet, or post on Pinterest between now and November 17, 2011, you will receive a copy of her Freezer Cooking e-book for free!(you must email support@moneysavingmom.com with your reciept #, or post(s) links in order to receive your copy!)

What a great companion to help you start the New Year off right!

Weekly goals

Well, i was right about last week getting nuts and not getting much done. Thankfully, I only have 1 appointment this week and it's not until Thursday afternoon(Thing 2 to the ortho) so hopefully I can mark through most of my list!

Ongoing

Declutter

Stay caught up with library books

Purchase 2 christmas presents

Weekly

Make sauerkraut

Work on embroidery and crochet projects

Clean off board game and craft shelf

Cut out and organize coupons

Clean off refrigerator and kitchen shelf

Catch up on Netflix DVD's

Clean off desk

Menu Plan Monday

Phew, another week flew by! The big Thanksgiving dinner(at my house this year, yikes!) will be here before we know it. Thankfully, I got the menu planned! Thisweek of dinners has a few carryovers..Joseph begged to cook a duck one night(which I FINALLY found in Aldi's) and we had an impromtu dinner out.

Here's the plan:

Breakfasts

Oatmeal

Eggs

Cereal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Cashew chicken, rice, green beans

Country fried steaks, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn

Tacos

Pigs n a blanket, tater tots, carrots

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas

Chicken nachoes with tomatoes and olives, fruit salad

Bookin it-October

October was more acceptable than September in regards to the number of books read. Things got back into routine and I found more time to read some books. With the weather turning cold, I should have a decent amount of time to stay caught up.

Here's what I read in October:

The Last Olympian

Clockwork Angel

Mistral's Kiss

Don't make me come up there: quiet moments for busy moms

The complete book of essential oils and aromatherapy

Lover Revealed

A Lick of Frost

Found

Save those bits!

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that my level of frugality sort of flucuates. With colder weather approaching, it's time to swing into gear. No more wasting perfectly usable stuff(I know, I know, I should be this diligent ALL the time). I noticed some bananas getting past the point of what Baby Girl will eat so I cut them up and they are now in the freezer.

Now we will have bananas ready for muffins, bread, or even a smoothie if the mood strikes.

I also have a bag in the freezer for leftover bread to be turned into bread crumbs(which I use a lot of!)

One thing I have learned is not to skimp on cheap freezer bags. They allow the food to get freezer burned or the bags are brittle and break.

This is posted to Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

Weekly goals

I can already tell it's going to be one of these where nothing is going to go according to plan. Grr. I'm making a list anyways and hoping for the best :)

Ongoing

Declutter

Purchase 2 Christmas presents

Stay caught up with library books

Weekly

Get started on cleaning basement

Take items to thrift store

Sort video games for sale

Work on embroidery project

Work on crochet project

Get muffler on truck

Work on Thanksgiving plans

And since I have some appointments this week, that will be it!

Menu Plan Monday

I can finally cook properly! My oven quit on my stove right after Thing 2's birthday in July, and the stove top went caput right before Halloween. Grr. Saturday, we got a stove..woohoo! The bad thing is, everyone wants me to cook all their favorites now(is it bad I made a batch of cookies to eat BEFORE dinner on Saturday?)

Here's the plan

Breakfasts

Eggs

Cereal

oatmeal

all served with fruit

Dinners

Pork loin, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Chili, cornbread

Lasagna, salad, bread

Cashew chicken, rice, carrots

Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, biscuits

Chicken nachos with tomatoes

Cheeseburgers, homemade fries, celery sticks

Take a tour

We live in a city with a Coca Cola bottler/distributor. Recently, in celebration of the 125th Anniversary of Coke, they offered plant tours. Talk about awesome. I've lived here all my life and had never been! it was so fun to share it with the crew!

Baby Girl(top) and Thing1(bottom) in front of the Coke truck

Thing 1 made the comment that it was interesting to do something that she's only seen on "How It's Made"

We came late in the day, so most the goodies were gone, but they generously loaded us up in Coke(even some 20 ounces right off the line!) and Dr. Pepper!

Back in the summer, we took a tour of a local chocolate factory. Yum. Not only did they learn about how that yummy goodness is made, they also got a lesson in economics because the maker deals in Fair Trade with the growers(and they work with a couple local schools) Awesome.

Before these 2, the only places we've toured was the local police and fire stations.

Check local for any tours in your area. It's a LOT of fun and you just might learn something new!

This is posted to Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday

October Declutter Update

October, thankfully, was a busy decluttering month. The crew did a good clean out of their room, amassing 5 garbage bags of well, garbage, and 3 storage tubs of toys I need to sit down and sort out for donation. I also took 8 magazines to the laundry and 2 envelopes of expired coupons to a local place that sends to military bases overseas.

 Here's what I have set to go to my favorite thrift store:

They are in the process of moving to a new location, so this gets to sit in my house awhile longer...hopefully, I'll have more to add when I take the trip across town!