Easy Meal Planning

As a Mom of little ones I love my easy meal planning system. This is my favorite way to plan our food for the month. I color code every day for our breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and, dinner. This helps me save money every month on our food spending which is a big bonus. If you plan you never have to have the dreaded "Whats for Dinner" etc.. talk.
I  love the BLUE SKY  calendars to plan because there is enough space and the calendars have nice lines, they are spiral bound plus they are cute. You can hang them up too. CLICK HERE TO BUY. I love sharpie ultra fine markers to write everything down. I love lists and something about just writing stuff down makes me happy. CLICK HERE to buy markers.


ACTION PLAN:
I start off with brainstorming ideas I want for the month on regular notebook paper. I make columns with Breakfast/snacks/lunch/dinner.

• Browse cookbooks and Pinterest for meal time inspiration.
• Keep a Legend at the bottom of the calendar to know what each color stands for each day.
• Then I plan out each month.(I try to plan for at least 2 months at a time) We allow for eating out 2 times a month. The rest of the time we try to keep to the plan and eat home as a family.

When we plan out our meals it really does save A TON OF MONEY! I will be having a post about my time saving tips and tricks on how I plan and prepare all of our snacks for the month as well. Enjoy!

5 habits to do every day

Here are 5 habits I do every day that make my day better. There are days when I wake up feeling overwhelmed. When I feel tired and behind before my feet even hit the floor. When I just want to roll over and go back to sleep because my to-do list is too long and the night was too short!

Some days, some months, and some years, life is just very exhausting and stretching. Sometimes, you just wish you could find a way to run away to a very quiet, CLEAN place where you don’t have to worry about cleaning.

If you’re in a season of life where you are feeling overwhelmed or if you would just love to find a way to have a little more order and structure in your life, I encourage you to develop the habit of doing these 5 things every single day. Commit to trying these 5 things for the next 4 weeks and see what a difference this can make each day.

#1 Wake up before your kids and get YOU ready for the day:

Some days this is a hard one and I don’t always stick to it. I homeschool my kids so we don’t get up as early as most and there are days where we have a PJ day and stay more relaxed and some days I don’t get my shower in until 2:00. BUT when I stick to this rule I feel SO much better throughout the day. I like to get up at least 30 mins earlier than my kids and make sure I am all put together for the day (quick shower, hair, makeup, cute clothes) When you put a little effort into how you dress, it can impact your entire day. When I have my hair done, makeup on and something cute on it makes me feel so much better all day knowing I had time to “get ready”.

#2 Make your Bed:

Before you leave the house in the morning (or better yet, before you leave the bedroom), make your bed. If you’re in a rush, pull the comforter up to the pillows, and smooth it out to create the semblance of a made bed. This simple act creates a sense of order in your bedroom and sets your day off on a productive note that’s likely to carry through. Teach your kids to make their own beds as well. It makes the bedrooms more put together even if there is a little mess here and there.

#3 Do a load of Laundry from start to finish:

This is a NEVER ending chore. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just snap our fingers and all the Laundry would be done for us?!? I wish I could have a laundry fairy in my house!

Washing clothes on a regular schedule keeps the dirty pile from becoming overwhelming (not to mention, ensures that no one runs out of clean underpants). Those with big families prefer doing it every morning, but if you live alone, doing laundry a couple of predetermined days a week should suffice. Doing this will cut back on the long days of playing catch up on Laundry. It makes life so much easier!

#4 Keep your Kitchen clean:

When my kitchen is clean, it feels like my whole house is pretty much clean. When my kitchen is messy, the rest of my house can be clean, but it will feel like the whole thing is a wreck.

Maybe I’m the only person who is this way, but I can’t encourage you enough to develop a system for keeping your kitchen clean. What works for us is to make sure the kitchen is completely clean twice a day. At night before bed and in the morning after breakfast.

I HATE, HATE dirty dishes in the sink. Get the dishwasher emptied and ready to go for the day. Doing this in the morning lays the groundwork for an easy dinner cleanup at night and keeps dishes from stacking up in the sink throughout the day.

At night and in the morning I will wipe down/clean up anything that needs to be cleaned. Throughout the day, as we use plates/cups, we rinse and stick them in the dishwasher. Each night we run the dishwasher and each morning we unload it.  If you have granite counter tops CLICK HERE for my FAVORITE homemade cleaner to make your counters shine!

#5 Never leave a room empty handed:

First and foremost is keeping the clutter under control.  Piles of stuff scattered here, there and everywhere can be suffocating and chaotic.  If you don’t have time to de-clutter your home all at once, start with the areas that guests congregate first.  Remember the golden rule: if you don’t love it or use it, get rid of it!

I’ve gotten into the habit of always taking a look around before leaving a space in anticipation of putting it away in the space that I’m going.  Is there a toy that needs to be returned to a bedroom, a cup to the kitchen?  If you happen to be going there, take it with you.  It saves time in the long run because you aren’t leaving it all to clean up at one time. You’re on top of it.

BONUS: Take 15 mins and do something for YOU

Whatever it is, take time to refuel and refresh yourself so that your tank is not depleted.:)

The last time you visited someone else’s home did you spend the entire time thinking about their dust bunnies?  Nope, chances are you didn’t and neither are the guests in your home.   So cut yourself some slack for goodness sake.

Above all, remember it’s all about keeping it simple and not sweating the small stuff.

Here is a link to my FREE weekly cleaning schedule that has helped me out a TON as well CLICK HERE

Granite Cleaner

This is by far my favorite homemade cleaner for my granite counters. I use this every day in my kitchen and bathrooms.  Granite, marble or stone surfaces do NOT do well with acidic (citrus-based) cleaners. The vinegar or citrus can actually cause what looks like “etching” on them.
Windex is another no go, it will quickly strip the “seal” off of your granite/stone. You are now left with two options, expensive over the counter products or make your own. When I make this I double the batch. I found my counters dried beautifully without any streaks, my counters were so shiny that you could see the reflection of items on my counter.

TA DA!!!

Look at that shine!!! I love this homemade cleaner so much nothing makes me happier then clean shiny counters :) Plus it is a very budget friendly cleaner to make. Give it a try and tell me what you think :)

The BEST tile grout cleaner!!

I am REALLY embarrassed and disgusted to have to post this!!! We just recently bought a new house and we haven't been here that long.  I mop my kitchen floors once a week. Once a month I will get down on my hands and knees and scrub my floors with a scrubber. Well, the day that I was going to do my monthly hands and knees scrub, I discovered something so disgusting!!! I swear the people that lived here before us NEVER scrubbed their floor. This WHOLE time I thought we had dark grout in between our tiles.....I WAS WRONG!

Back up for a bit.....I have always used Suave Clarifying shampoo for a lot of my cleaning needs and especially for stains, I have always cleaned my tile floors with it. I like that it isn't some harsh chemicals I have to smell while on my hands and knees (it smells quite nice to me).

BACK TO THE STORY... I got down on my hands and knees with my bucket of HOT water with a squeeze of my Suave Clarifying shampoo, rag, and scrubber. To my amazement we really DID NOT have dark grout between our tiles at all. It was a build up of so much dirt and grime. It was disgusting the difference I was seeing while I scrubbed away. Here are some before and after photos, be ready to be amazed! Have in mind that this whole time my floor cleaner was not picking ANY of it when I mopped once a week.

GROSS RIGHT??? I feel so much better knowing that I have a (real) clean floor now, even though I thought it was clean this whole time. I left this amount for my hubby to see the difference when he got home from work and he couldn't believe the difference either. So lesson learned...we don't have dark grout after all....

If you haven't read my post on my "Secret Cleaner" CLICK HERE
Don't forget to become my newest follower of my blog :-)

FREE Daily Cleaning List

With the new year already here, I wanted to share with you my daily cleaning list that I made for my home. Just right click on the picture and save as a jpeg and print it. Mine is a 8x10 size, I just taped it inside one of my cupboards in my kitchen with all my cleaning supplies.  This has helped me keep up with all the house cleaning life brings us Mom's. It takes no more than 20 mins a day. Once you get in the habit of doing this it will be a piece of cake and you will LOVE how clean and organized your house stays.......well most of the time :) Please don't forget to become a new follower to my blog, if you aren't one already. New Followers make me super happy :) Thanks

Top 5 things we forget to clean!

Its spring and, everyone does a good deal of spring cleaning. Today I would like to share with you my top 5 things that you more than likely aren't cleaning and should be cleaning. If you are cleaning them, good for you. :)


1) Cell phones-  They can be the most gross germ invested things out there. You set them down anywhere you touch them all day long. You don't want to spray them with anything. This is how I clean my cell phone.  These wipes will be your best friend for a nice clean Cell phone :) I just love them! You should clean them once a day.

2) Dryer duct-  If you have kids with allergies you should clean these all the time. Also, they are a HUGE fire danger!! Your power bill will go down significantly when you clean them. They are really easy to clean and it doesn't take long.

This is an example of how bad they can get, fire waiting to happen!

All you need is a wire brush and push it all out. You can get these brushes at a home improvement store.


3) Keyboard-  Research suggests that most, if not all, keyboards are contaminated with at least one kind of bacteria that could cause illness. Which is why it’s important to give your keyboard a good wipe-down with some commercial wipes or water/alcohol-soaked towelettes, at least once a day.

4) Door knobs, light switches- You might not forget these as often only because they are over-stressed as the “most forgotten items” to clean. The silly thing is these things are probably the easiest things to clean in your house. I go around and spray all of mine with Lysol every now and then.

 

5) Garbage disposal-  Cleaning your garbage disposal is another way to keep your household odors at bay. That is because the inside cylinder of the disposal can quickly get a buildup of sludge and little particles of food. Run a couple of cups of ice mixed with a cup of rock salt. Place ½ cup baking soda in the disposal. Follow that up with 1 cup vinegar. Allow it to work its magic…it will bubble and fizz for a while. Then follow up with some very hot water. Then I like to use a magic eraser on the flaps (splash guard) and around the opening.

 There you have it add these 5 things to your spring cleaning to do list! Enjoy :-)

Shhh this is one of my secrets..One of the best cleaners

I have been a Cosmetologist for 11 years now. I can never stress enough on which shampoos NOT to use. This is on the top of my list of ones to AVOID ALL TOGETHER for you hair. Suave clarifying shampoo. I will tell you why. The PH is higher than a perm solution, it will damage your hair and strip out all the nutrients. I keep a bottle of this under my sink with all of my cleaners. It has taken out sharpie permanent marker out of my carpets, paint, juice, nail polish (you name it) . I have been able to get stains out of my clothes that wouldn't come out with regular stain remover. I will squirt a little in really dirty clothes cycle in my washer and they come out perfect! So imagine how bad it would be to put it on your hair. You get the idea, but it is fabulous for one of my cleaners :-) It only costs .84 cents at Walmart. You can't beat that. Go get you some and when you "need" it you will be glad you read this post, it needs to be the clarifying one. Just promise to not use it on your hair :-)
Please follow my blog, I will return the favor and follow yours :)

How I use it: I dump some on the area to be cleaned, get a hot rag and rub like crazy,(it will foam up a little) let is sit of a little bit then I put a clean hot rag on it to pick it all up with, if you leave some behind its fine. It smells really good and it wont ruin your carpet. In the wash I just put a squirt or two in it with my regular washing stuff.

******UPDATE******* CLICK HERE for my newest discovery on using this for a cleaner :-)

Drawer Organizing

Folding t-shirts in a drawer in horizontal rows instead of vertical ones so you can actually see all of your t-shirts, pants at once. I KNOW. CRAZY.
 Here is the before and after, once I dumped out my kids drawers and tried it out:

Over 30 shirts all in one drawer nice and neat!

It's ideal to have the pattern of the shirt facing up so you can distinguish between them. Here's a handy-dandy folding chart so you can learn how to organize your drawers, too!

1. Lay out your shirt with the print facing up.

2. Fold the shirt in half length-wise, print still facing up.

3. Fold in your sleeves (this takes an extra fold with long-sleeved shirts)

4. Fold the bottom half of the shirt up

5. Fold the top of the shirt down, that simple. Now put it in the drawer with the pictures or text showing on top. You will always know where every pair of clothing is because it’s not stuffed under everything. Pretty cool, huh?

Organized bliss. :)

As you can see I don't fold button up collar shirts this way in my boy’s drawers. They don't handle the fold as well. You will be surprised that the shirts don't get any more wrinkled then folding them the regular way.

Bill Box

When free interent bill pay came around, I thought this is so great just input hit send and done!! Well more than once I have had a scheduled bill pay be late and I get stuck with a late fee when its really my bank not getting it out when they are supposed to. So I am back at the "Old School Way" of paying bills. I actually don't mind it at all. I like to plan and that way I know it is all taken care of. So I came up with a Bill box. I have everything I need to take care of my bills in it. What you need to get one for yourself is:

*A cute bin or box that closes (you don't want to have to see it all)
*Different color pens (I like to make things look cute, its more fun to pay bills that way)
*Highlighter
*Envelopes
*Stamps
*Bills (stubs)
*Check book
*Checkbook register
*Paper clips
*Candy (a must to get through bills lol)

Mine is pretty empty right now. ( I just got done paying all me bills but you get the idea) 

Now I will no longer get random late fees from my bank not sending them when they need to. I have it all tracked now :-)

One of my favorite Organization Tips

As many of you know I am a big coupon shopper. If you are like me, I don't like to just throw stuff in bins or baskets when I get a great sale on an item. (you forget what you have and how many you have) One of my favorite things is organizing and make things look nice. :) This is one of my favorite things I have......my Peg board! You can put anything you buy at the store, that can be hung up. This way you can see what you have without just stuffing it somewhere and forgetting about it. It all hangs and looks so clean and nice. If I had a basement I would have a whole wall designated for a peg board, but I don't so I just have one in a closet along the whole back wall. It works great!!! Here are some pictures of parts of it to give you an idea. My son says we have our own store when he sees it! :) Please don't forget to follow my blog, thanks :)

Organize Paper, Plastic

I love this organizer. I got it at Walmart for a $1.00. I put everything in it when I don't want dirty dishes. :) Paper Plates, Plastic cups, napkins, forks,spoons knifes and straws. It works perfect!! Also I am still working on getting my hair and make up videos up on here. :)

The Perfect Car Organizer

I love my Car Organizer. It is so convenient to have everything you need or might need right there, all in one place. Here is a list of things I keep in mine.

*A few diapers with some travel wipes
*Snacks for my kids (granola bars, fruit snacks, suckers)
*Water Bottle
*Chap Stick
*Pens, Highlighter
*Calculator
*Bank Deposit slips, Stamps
*A pair of Sunglasses for everyone in the family
*3 or 4 DVDs to play on our DVD players
*Chargers for cell phone, I pod, etc...
*Finger Nail clippers
*Pain relievers for us and the kids along with some cough drops
*Gum, Mints
*Flashlight
*Brush, and comb
*Floss
*Receipt storage pouch for all my receipts (The bag has pouches that come off with Velcro so its perfect for receipts)
*Immunization records for my Boys
*Daily Planner
*Small notebook
*Mini First aid kit 

I am sure I am missing a couple of things but you get the idea. :) You can get the bag I use at Walmart. I will put a link up soon so you can just buy it online if you want it. Have a great day, and have fun organizing!

Quiet time bins/Activity Box

Since my oldest son has been trying to give up naps.(He gets one about every 3 days) I decided to make a box for each day of the week with different activities that are quiet. At nap time he gets to do whatever is in that days bin. I rotate with different activities and books every couple of weeks. He loves them. I made labels for them and laminated them to put on the outside of each one. Here are my Labels you can use for your personal use
 http://www.scribd.com/doc/78956994
 (the font will change to a cuter one once you download it for free)  Here are some pictures of ours for some ideas :-) Enjoy!!!