grocery.list

My grocery list is probably the longest running organizing tool that I've used. It's been working for about 5 years. I learned this one from Julie's mom, Linda. It's a keeper.

1. Go to the grocery store where you always shop on a day that you aren't buying groceries.
2. Make a list of the items that you purchase and label them by aisle.
3. Type them out on the computer when you get home.
4. Print out 10 grocery lists, 3-hole punch them, and put them in the back of your binder.
5. Use a highlighter to mark the items on your list as you run out or realize you need something.

This is such a lifesaver. If Josh calls and says he's stopping by the store on the way home, I give it a quick check to see if there is anything that I NEED today. If I'm going to the store myself, I just grab my list and go. Everything is already in aisle order so I rarely miss an item and have to run back to find it.

And, even if I go to a different store than my usual store, things are at least usually grouped in the same sections together even if the aren't in the same aisle as my typical store.

Here's what part of my list looks like:

Back of Store
crescent rolls
yogurt
orange juice
milk
eggs
butter
sour cream

Aisle 16
frozen pizza
chicken nuggets

Aisle 15
green beans
corn
peas

Aisle 14
ice cream
garlic toast

I also have a miscellaneous section with blank lines. I promise you that this is totally worth the hassle of setting it up. We switched stores when we moved, and I dreaded writing up a new list, but it was totally worth it!

seriously.february 25

This is what happens when one child (Meredith) throws a bag of powdered sugar at another child (Claire).

AND, even after you scrub the hard floor 5 times, it still has a sticky glaze to it.

(I informed Meredith that I was taking the picture to show Daddy, but I really wanted to blog about it!)

Seriously.

 

favorite.pink.crayon

Setting: Claire and Meredith coloring at the table.

Claire: Mooooom! Meredith just hit me with her favorite color of pink!

blue.binder

I have a blue binder where I keep all of my organizing stuff. I keep my daily dockets, my cleaning lists, and my grocery lists here. It really keeps my kitchen counter free of a big pile of stuff. My binder has pockets on the inside where I keep my weekly meal list, restaurant coupons that I think we might use, and papers that would normally be scattered through my kitchen because I don't want to lose them.

I can move my binder room to room as I'm cleaning, and if people are coming over, all I have to do is close it up and put it in the cabinet. It is a really easy way to keep everything in one contained spot.

words.of.advice

1. If you have kids, make them brush their teeth.

2. If you have kids who brush their teeth, make them do it twice a day.

3. If you have time, make them do it once more just for good measure.

4. Even if you're really good at making them do it once a day, and most days you squeeze in a second brushing, make a decision TODAY to make them always do it TWICE a day.

5. If you don't, you may end up with a $800 dental bill (after insurance...yikes!) for your 4 year old like a certain someone that I know...not mentioning any names.

Yesterday was Meredith's 4th birthday. We bought her a bike. It just might be the last gift that she'll receive until she's 9. Ok, I'm joking....12.

seriously.february 14

I opened a new pack of AA batteries tonight to replace the battery in my mouse. I noticed the warning on the back:

"If swallowed or lodged in ear or nose, promptly see a doctor."

Do people really need reminded of this?

Seriously.

50.states

So, how well do you know your 50 states?

Confession: I was hundreds of miles off with Delaware...it didn't help that it was my 2nd state to place!

Enjoy!

daily.docket

Ok, so I pretty much came to the conclusion that I needed to get a bit more organized with my time. This past fall went well with home schooling, but I was realizing more and more that I needed to get as much done as usual PLUS squeeze in a couple of hours of school. Some days were overwhelming and some not so much.

So, what to do? Well, I was reading the Simple Mom blog (which I love), and she was talking about her daily dockets. I was pretty sure that this was something I could use. After all, it's a list, and I love lists!!! I mean I really, really love them.

This is a copy of one of Simple Mom's daily dockets (the way that she would fill it out). In her "blog" box, I list my business stuff. And, if you download her dockets (which are free), the second page leaves the blog box blank for you to fill in the way that you want! Perfect....I just print the second page. (Sorry that you can't see it better...if you click here you can see a better picture of it.)

I have a couple of favorite parts to this daily docket. My first favorite part is the "MIT" section. These are your 3 Most Important Things to get done for the day. If you do these 3 things, you'll at least feel like you got something accomplished for the day! It feels sooooo good to check those MIT's off the list.

Next, I love the "what's for dinner" part because it makes me think ahead (the night before) about what we're going to have for dinner. That way if it's a crock pot meal...I can put it in the crock pot in the morning, instead of remembering at 2:30 that I wanted a crock pot meal for dinner. Or, if there is some prep work that I can do at lunch to get ready for dinner, it makes the whole dinner prep go faster.

I cannot tell you how much better my day goes when I follow this docket! I put it together the night before, and I wake up with a plan for the day. No more meaningless time spent surfing, browsing, twiddling away. I actually put blogging and web surfing on my "to do" list some days. That way, I plan for it. That's the beauty of it...if you plan for it (and watch your clock), you don't go over because you've planned 30 minutes to do it and then you're going to be done! You have other things to do.

Here's the key (especially if you have little ones who like to throw your schedule off!)...you only schedule 1 or 2 things per hour. Here is an example of what would be on my daily docket time schedule:

8:00 Breakfast, check email
9:00 Breakfast for girls, unload dishwasher
10:00 School
11:00 School
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Laundry
2:00 PM school
3:00 girls rest time, read, blog
4:00 snack for girls, daily cleaning
5:00 prep dinner
6:00 dinner
7:00 prep bedtime, read to girls
8:00 girls in bed, laundry
9:00 sew
10:00 business stuff
11:00 bed

See, I never feel guilty about sewing or blogging or other "fun" stuff because I know that I planned in time to do my laundry and do my daily cleaning! It's liberating!! Really. I used to have these thoughts all day about...well I should be doing this or that...not anymore.

I only put one/maybe two things on my list because I never know that to expect from Amelia. She might wake up at 7:30 or 9:00. This gives me some flexibility to catch up now and then if I only have one thing on my list for that hour. Our afternoon school often allows me to get something else done. We're usually coloring, painting, or doing play-doh, or the girls are playing a game of some kind. If I take 15 minutes and get them going, they'll play for an hour. I can get caught up or get ahead during these times!

Here's the challenge...try the daily docket for 2 weeks and see if you like it! I'm guessing that you'll see an improvement in your time management. These are great if you're home all day or just in the evenings...even evenings need to be planned out to be well managed!

one.year

Meredith celebrating her 2nd birthday with Josh's family.

I've officially been blogging for one year! Happy blogday to me!

it's.my.job

Warning: I'm going to spew some of my insides today.

I read something a few months ago about being a SAHM that really got me thinking. The author was questioning SAHMs about their role in their homes and how well they do their "job". So, I started thinking about my "job" and how well I do it. I mean, really thinking about it.

So, how well do I do my job? If I had a real boss (not Josh, of course!), would I perform differently? If I was taking care of someone else's kids and someone else's house, what would my daily schedule look like? If there were other people in line waiting to "take" my job, would I be better at it?

It wasn't totally about making me feel guilty about the way my days have looked for the last 5 1/2 years. However, it was about doing a major gut-check and re-evaluating my everyday schedule. I mean, really, I'm trying to accomplish lots of stuff at home (dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, nursing, kindergarten, preschool, baby school...not to mention blogging, talking on the phone, maintaining my business, and having fun). I didn't even have a daily schedule! How was I supposed to get everything done???

But I've wasted a lot (A LOT) of time over the last 5 years doing what? I don't even know sometimes! I know that surfing the internet has taken up a lot of mindless time. I also know that television used to take up a lot of my time, although we've cut most of that out around here as well. (I don't have time for it anymore!) I used to watch the Today Show every morning when Claire was a baby. And I watched Dr. Phil every afternoon. I thought I needed some "down" time because I was so busy with that baby! Ha ha ha ha! Isn't that funny? Oh, to go back to my "busy" life with one child who slept in until 10a.m. and took 2 naps a day!

Back on track: Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with watching a little t.v. or surfing the internet here and there, but I would really just do it mindlessly. No real purpose. I'm trying to be much more purposeful these days with my time. I have a lot I want to get done! Moderation is the key...seems to be for a lot of things!

I have a job in my home. I need to view it like a job and make our days purposeful. Josh is so nice because when we discussed this for the first time a month or so ago, he assured me that I am a great wife and a great mother and I'm good at taking care of things around the house. And that's all good and well except that I could be better! And I'm not just being hard on myself. If I managed my time better, I could get SO much more done.

Anyway, I'm going to ramble more about this in the coming days. (Hopefully, there are more cheers than moans in my reading audience at this point!) I kind of have a lot to say about it, so get ready! You know how I am when I have a lot to say....I can go on and on and on and on. Bear with me. :)

creamy chicken and wild rice soup

This is one of my favorite soups...so excited to share it with you!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon butter
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, shredded boneless chicken breasts
1 (6 ounce box) Uncle Ben's long grain wild rice (the one that says "with 23 seasonings"...or something like that)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups milk

1. In a large pot, saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

2. Add broth, water, and chicken. Bring just to a boil, stir in rice (reserve seasoning packet for later). Cover and remove from heat.

3. In small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in seasoning packet, then stir in flour mixture (a little at a time). Whisk in milk (a little at a time), until smooth. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir cream mixture into broth/rice pot. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir periodically.

Here are some cooking tips to make this soup easier:
-Cook and shred chicken ahead of time.
-Cut all of the veggies up the day before.
-I use chicken bouillon to make my chicken broth.
-Let the soup sit for an hour or so after you cook it to let it thicken up. I either cook it in the morning and eat it that night. Or cook it one day and eat it the next.

This is so worth the prep time that it takes to make it. Josh thinks it's better than Panera. Thanks for the compliment, honey! I've even made bread bowls a couple of times with it. It is great with homemade rolls and salad.

Yum.