All in the life of family

Household Tips and Tricks

2011-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

Keeping it clean one house at a time

Tip #6

Use fresh squeezed lemon juice as a cleaner for some of your kitchen surfaces. It is a great way to go green and it is a great way to make your wallet a little bit greener as well.

Here are some of the ways to use it in your kitchen.

Stove top

It works great as a degrease and the acid from the lemons will break down stains on the stove top in just a few minutes. Squeeze the juice right where you need it and then wipe off with a rag. Stain gone.

Microwave

Heat a microwaveable cup with water and lemon slices in your microwave for 2 to 3 minute this will loosen up all the grime. Then all you have to do is wipe clean. Stains and grease will be easier to remove and all odors neutralized.

Kitchen Sink

Squeeze juice from one to two lemons. Mix lemon juice with backing soda to form a paste. Use a damp rag to rub the paste in the sink. Let sit for several minutes to allow the lemon acid to break down stains. Rub with rag just like you would with Ajax. Rinse clean.

Refrigerator

Cut a lemon in half and stored it in your refrigerator to help control and eliminate all those unpleasant smells.

Use Printable Coupons from Swag Bucks

2011-01-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Earn 10 Swag Bucks for every coupon you print and redeem at your local grocery store!

Let your coupons do double duty with Swag Bucks Coupons. I print coupons using swag bucks coupon page, I save money at the grocery store and other stores by redeem the swag bucks coupons and saving on my products. Not only do I save money at the store but for every Swag Buck Coupon I redeem I also get $10.00 Swag Bucks. Those swag bucks go into your online account and can be redeemed for gift cards to a verity of places like amazon or for prizes in the swag bucks store.

It is 100% FREE to print coupons, so don't delay - the sooner you print, the sooner you SAVE!

Who doesn’t love free gift cards? You might as well earn while you shop and use coupons.

When you sign up for a swag buck account you will get 30 swag bucks for free.

Show off at Oopsey Daisy

2011-01-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Linen Closet Freshener

Coupons keeping it all together

2011-01-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Using coupons is helping our family stretch the budget during this rough financial patch that we are all going through at this time. One of the most frugal, money-saving things that I can do is utilize as many of the coupons that are at my disposal as possible for the products that we use.

In order for me to utilize these coupons to the best of my ability I had to come up with a way to organize them so that I would be able to use as many as possible. The more I use the more I am able to save.

The first thing that I did was to organize the coupons into simple categories.

• Dairy

• Canned

• Frozen

• Baking

• Cereal/Crackers

• Boxed Meals/Sides

• Seasoning

• Snacks

• Cleaning

• Paper Products

• Beauty

The second thing I did was decide on if I wanted to put them into a binder or index box with dividers. I chose the binder, that way it fit nicely on my office shelf and was also easy for me to carry in the cart.

I used binder 5 tab dividers to divide all of the sections with. In each section I placed zipper pocket and baseball card holders to hold all the coupons in.

I like the zipper bags the best because it is easier to place the coupons inside. The draw back is that you can not see your coupons at a glance. So I have both in each section of my binder.

How to Make a Zip Pocket Holder for Binder

I cut down a gallon zip lock bag from the bottom end so that it will fit in the binder, next I cut a sheet of card stock so that it will slide into the zip lock bag leaving a little hanging out the end that you cut. Once that is done I use clear packing tape and tape the cut end closed. After the bag has been reinforced with the packing tape I punch holes in the zip bag with a three hole punch.

Using the coupons at the Grocery Story or other Stores

When I make out our shopping list for each store, I put the coupons I’ll be using in each store envelope. I then write my list for that store on the outside of each envelop and place a circled C next to the items that has a coupon. This way I make sure that I am getting the right item while at the store and it also insure that I will use all of them at check out.

Here is another cute coupon organizer from Glowgirl.

Glowgirl

Coupon Organizer

Pamper Your Feet

2011-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Our feet should not be left out of our beauty regiment. Our feet can benefit from some tender loving care. After all they get us from one point to the next. So let’s take some time and exfoliate those dry cracked overworked, tired feet.

Here is what you will need:

• Dish Pan

• Painters Sand Sponge

• Soft Towel

• Fresh squeezed lemon juice

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Epson Salt

Make a massaging cream with olive oil and Epson salt. Mix the two ingredients together until you have a oily paste.

Remove all of your dry calluses with the painter’s sponge before you soak your feet in warm water.

Next rub lemon juice all over your feet with a cotton ball. Allow the lemon juice to set on your feet for a few minutes to help exfoliate and remove all the dead skin cells.

Place your feet a tub of warm water and allow them tootsies to soak and relax the days strain away.

After your feet have soaked for several minutes remove one foot at a time placing your foot on the dry towel and massage in the olive oil and Epson salt paste. This will buff away all of the remaining dead skin cell and leave you with smooth soft feet. Once your have massaged your foot well sit it back in the tub of warm water. Repeat with the other foot. Once both feet have been done towel them off and you will be left with some happy tootsies.

Homemade Apple Sauce with Crumb Topping

2011-01-11T16:59:00.000-08:00

21 large apples I use Fuji and Gala Apples

2 cups water

½ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel all the apples and core them. Once you have them all peeled and cored cut the apples up into small chunks. Place the apples in a large pot, add water, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cook on medium heat with a cover. Once apples are soft about 20 minutes use a potato masher and mash the apples in the pot. Uncover and cook down until most of the juice is gone. Let cool and place in mason jars or container with lid. Keep refrigerated.

Crumb Toping

½ stick soft butter

½ cup flour

½ cup oats

½ cup brown sugar

Smash in the flour, brown sugar and oats into the butter using a fork. Keep mixing until it become crumbly. You might have to add flour.

Household Tips and Tricks

2011-01-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

Keeping it clean one house at a time

Tip #5

With a busy life style it is hard to take a whole day for cleaning the house from top to bottom. I have found that it is easer and less stressful if I break down all the household chores into a regular weekly and monthly rotation schedule. When I do it this way it insures that nothing goes undone for more than one week or one month depending on the chore.

Make two list of your cleaning chores that you do weekly and monthly. Once you have your list break it into days that each chore will get done.

Weekly List of Chores

• Showers and Tubs
• Toilets and sinks
• Mop
• Mirrors and Glass doors
• Dust
• Vacuum and Sweep (I do this twice a week)
• Microwave

Monthly List of Chores

• Ceiling Fans
• Refrigerator
• Baseboards
• Cobwebs
• High Selves and High Tops of Furniture
• Oven

My kitchen gets cleaned daily. (After every meal)

I do not do household chores on Saturday or Sunday. Saturdays are for yard work and Sundays are for Church and family gatherings.

Here is what my week looks like at a glance

Monday Sweep/Mop/Vacuum

Tuesday Shower/Tubs/Bathroom Sinks/Toilets

Wednesday Mirrors and Glass doors

Thursday Dust and Microwave

Friday Sweep and Vacuum

Monthly chores I combine my monthly chores on the days that I have the fewest chores for the week or the ones that take me the shortest amount of time.

1st Wednesday of every month Ceiling Fans

1st Thursday of every month Baseboards

2nd Wednesday of every month Cobwebs

2nd Thursday of every month High Shelves and Tops Furniture

3rd Wednesday of every month Oven

4th Wednesday of every month Clean out refrigerator (drawers and wipe down shelves) I do this right before my first of the month grocery shopping which is my biggest shopping trip of the month.

Dresser Drawer Organization

2011-01-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

The New Year is here and with that always comes trying to get organized. I have been trying to organize through out our home since we moved in 1 ½ years ago. I’m getting there and one of the last things that need to be concurred is everyone’s dressers. Come on we all have those drawers that we just toss the items in after the wash, here is a picture of mine before. Yes I am embarrassed to say that this is my drawer and not one of my children’s.

I found the same size boxes that fit perfect in the drawers. I lined each box with a dryer sheet to keep things fresh. I should of contact paper them or something to make them look more Martha Stewart style and all but did not have any and thought who is going to be looking in my drawer besides me (and then I posted it and now all of you L).

Now I won’t go to work with miss match socks. I have my tights, knee highs, socks and scarves in each box.

I also put the same size boxes in my shirt drawer.

My husband came and look at them and said “hey nice job, but how long to do think that is going to last?” I will have to prove him wrong and keep it this way. (I can do it)

Linen Closet Freshener

2011-01-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

Keep your linens smelling clean and fresh with linen shelf fresheners.

What you will need:

• Dryer Sheets

• Ribbon 1 inch

• Rick Rack

• Buttons

• Push Pins

• Glue Gun

Cut ribbon to fit the length of the shelf in your linen cabinet. Fold the dryer sheet in half forming two triangles.

Glue the straight edge of dryer sheets to the back side of the 1 inch ribbon.

Turn over and embellish the front side with rick rack and buttons. Hang on the edge of linen shelf with push pins.

New Year Goals

2010-12-31T11:03:00.000-08:00

The New Year is here and it is going to come and go as fast as the last one did. So with that in mind I have to set some goals to keep me on track of the year to come. I feel that if I write them down for all to see it will keep me on track with what I want to accomplish for myself and family.

Goals for 2011

• Believe in Gods plan for me!
• Spend as much quality time with my children before they leave the nest. With two in college that does not give me much time.
• Spend quality time with my husband (he should come before work and I have to tell myself that)
• Lose 10 Ibs. We all have the weight lose one.
• Eat for a healthier life style.
• Do charitable acts in the community. Leave a mark to make a difference.
• Run a 10K with out walking.
• Get My Two Homes children’s book published.
• Finish the illustrations to Scarecrows Standing Tall children’s book.
• Take my children to the top of Mammoth Mountain

Household Tips and Tricks

2010-12-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

Tip #4

With dogs come stains. I don’t know how they do it but they can stain up the carpet in a hurry and I don’t mean with urine, I mean just random stain spots.

The best way that I have found to battle those random spots on the carpet is not all those fancy expensive pet carpet stain removers. The best thing for me and those spots has been peroxide yes that good old bubbly stuff for cleaning cuts. Place the peroxide into a spray bottle, spray the spot and let it set on the area for a few minutes. Take a clean damp cotton rag and rub the spot until gone. Let dry

Before using the peroxide do a test spot, just like you need to do with commercial carpet cleaners to insure that it will not bleach your style of carpet.

More Money Saving Ideas

2010-12-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

The holidays are over and it is time to look at new ways to save. I’m always looking and trying new ways to save money and this New Year will be no different then any other. Always trying to close that gab of debt to income and become debt free.

Here is some tried and true money saving ideas, from my home to yours.

• With winter here, you can save money on your heating bill by rolling up paper towels or towels and placing them in the tracks of your windows. Les cold air coming in means less time the furnace has to run.
• Use your kitchen for beauty products, here are some ideas to get you started.
   *Fresh Lemons
   *Cucumbers
   *Plain Yogurt
   *Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   *Baking Soda
   *Honey
   *Oats
   *Vinegar
   *Sugar
   *Milk
Here is a site that will give you wonderful recipes for making some of you own beauty products. All Natural Beauty

• Grocery Shop every two weeks, the less I shop the more I save.

• Unplug-Unplug all of those small appliances when you are done with them. Even when they are not in use they are still pulling energy.

• Use Power Strips- Plug all of your chargers into a power strip, this will allow you to turn off the power strip when you are not charging anything.

• Have your power strip to your computer at reach so when you shut down your computer you can also turn the power off to the power strip. You can also hook up all of your entertainment system to a power strip and have it to at reach so that when you turn the TV off you can turn off the power strip to that as well. Saving $ monthly.

• When using your dishwasher all you real need is the light cycle for most loads and you can place the setting to air dry. Turn on the dishwasher before you leave in the mornings and they will be dry when you get home.

• Replace your rinse solution with vinegar. Just pour vinegar in the rinse solution basin.

When trying to save money you have to remember that every little bit adds up when it comes to cutting the budget and making your money go further.

Snow Pal Lesson Plan Giveaway

2010-12-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Let the snow begin with this fun and engaging lesson plan for your children.

This lesson is made up of 33 pages of small group, movement activities and song ideas just to name a few. Memory games and math games are provided in the plan all you have to do is make copies for the children to use.

The great thing about these lesson plans form Kids World Exploration is that they are not just for preschool teachers, they are filled with ideas that

Home Schooling Families can use with ideas as well. The projects and games can be scaffold for the older children. There are also activities that will benefit the older children as well.

Working Moms can us these lesson plans for ideas that will help them keep their children involved in the learning process while moms are cooking dinner and straitening up around the house. Fun engaging activities to help those moms keep their little ones entertained and learning at the same time.

Grandparent can use these plans that are have their grandchildren come for a visit and don’t know what to do to help keep those little hands busy.

If you are a preschool teacher, home school parent, working mom or grandparent and you would like to win the Snow Pal Lesson Plan. You can enter three ways--enter once or enter three times, it's up to you!

1) Leave a comment with your e-mail address on this post. I simply ask that you either follow on Google Friend Connect, on Twitter "like" on Facebook.

2). Join a discussion of my Blogfrog and then leave a comment.

3) Share about this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog! Then, leave a comment.

This giveaway will close on Friday, December 31st at 12:00pm. Good luck!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to All

Sheep Ornaments

2010-12-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

Deck the halls with these cute little sheep ornaments.

All you need for this project is…

• Large white Pom Poms

• Small black Pom Poms

• Black felt

• Old fashion cloths pins

• Black paint

• Thin ribbon

• Small Jingle Bells

• Glue Gun

First paint all the cloths pins black and let dry.

While the paint is drying cut out strips of black felt into ear shapes. Make the ends into rounded triangles.

Hot glue the small black pom pom to the large pom pom right in the middle

Next glue on the ribbon bow and ears to the top of the black pom pom

Glue the bell right under the ribbon

Glue the black cloths pin to the back of the white pom pom

Glue a loop of ribbon to the top of the pop pom for hanging

They make a great girt set or you can even tie them to a gift package.

44 Years Young

2010-12-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

I’m another year young today (44). What helps keep me looking and feeling young is Aveeno moisturizer products. The one that I use daily is Aveeno positively ageless lifting and firming moisturizer. This skin moisturizer keeps my fine line at bay and helps protect me from the sun. I use it daily under my make-up. It helps t make me feel the 44 young that I am.

This is a personal review based on my excitement for a product. I was not paid or given compensation for this product review.

Taking Inventory of your Blessings

2010-12-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a great time of the year to take inventory of all your blessings.

I am blessed with…

• Growing Relationship with God
• A loving husband
• Caring children
• Tight knit family
• Wonderful friends
• Fulfilling job
• Cozy home
• Health of my family
• Health of self

Learning to recognize and embrace those moments of blessing and happiness.

Lemon Juice Astringent

2010-12-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

When it comes to finding good beauty products you don’t have to look any further than your kitchen cabinets.

One of my favorites to use is fresh squeezed lemon juice. The high content of Vitamin C and citric acid in lemons makes it an effective skin care aid.

It helps:

• Exfoliate by removing dead skin cells
• Brightens
• Lightens acne spots
• Lightens age spots
• Removes blackheads
• Stimulates collagen

Squeeze fresh lemon juice into a glass jar and dab onto face with cotton ball. Let it sit on face for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Follow by a moisturizer of choice. Fresh squeezed lemon juice will last for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. If you have a large batch of juice you can freeze the juice in ice trays and then place the cubes in a freezer bag. Thaw one cube as needed.

Making a Band Book Mark

2010-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

I have always used a big rubber band for my book marks, which works great but it is not too fashionable. I tried embellishing the rubber band but that to, was not fashionable enough for a good read.

I had beads and elastic band from a previous project that I thought would work for my new book markers. I found some jewelry eye pins and charms in the jewelry making section of the craft store to finish off the project with.

Here is what you will need:

• Stretch Magic bead and jewelry cord (1.5 mm)
• Jewelry eye pins (3 inch)
• Glass Beads
• Charms
• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters

String your beads and charm onto the eye pin in the pattern of choice. I did mine about 2 inches long. Next take your needle nose pliers and twist a loop on the end. Clip the extra wire off with wire clippers.

It will look like this when you are done. Next tie the stretch magic to one end using a fish hook knot. Measure the stretch magic over a book to get the desired length. Tie another fish hook knot. Clip off the extra elastic.

You know have a great a simple book marker. This would also make a great gift for those avid readers.

Here is the knot that I used.

Knitting for Gifts

2010-12-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

Knitting is something that is simple to do and it can make a great handmade gift. It is still not too late to go and grab some yarn and knit someone something warm. Everyone loves to get warm felt gifts made by hand.

When I make scarves I like to use two yarns at the same time. It is fun to mix and match and make different textures.

If you have never knitted before watch the short clips below. It is really easy to learn how. Join the fun.

Cinnamon Applesauce Dough Ornaments

2010-12-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

You and your child will enjoy making these ornaments for your Christmas tree. It is a great sensory experience for the children with the texture and smell of the dough. Make plenty of dough because you will want to make plenty of them for the tree. You will love them for years to come, with the fresh sent of cinnamon for the holiday. You can also use these ornament for other holiday occasions like Mother’s Day.

What You Will Need:

• 1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon (you can get large containers at the dollar store or warehouse stores)
• 1 cup applesauce
• ¼ cup white school glue
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Wax Paper or Foil
• Plastic Wrap
• Rolling Pins
• Cookie Cutter or Plastic knives for cutting shapes
• Ribbon for hanging
• Straw to make the hole for hanging

How to Make Ornaments

• Mix cinnamon, applesauce and glue together in the large mixing bowl. Dough should be firm.
• Have children roll dough out on wax paper about ¼ inch thick
• Cut into desired shape.
• At the top pock a hole in it for hanging
• Place cut out onto wax paper for drying
• You can embellish ornaments with glitter
• Once dry string ribbon through hole and tie.

This is what the dough should look like when you are done mixing it.

Workout for the Holiday

2010-12-05T16:03:00.000-08:00

Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred

With the holidays upon us it is harder and harder to find the time for the daily workout. So that is why I decided to find some new workouts that would be less time than running for 45 to 60 minutes a day. I came across the Jillian Michael DVD workout (30 Day Shred) and decided to give it a try since it had 3 different workouts that were only 20 minutes each. If you want a good hard work that will make you fill the burn in 20 minutes than this is the workout for you. Not only will you feel the burn but you will also be getting a cardio workout at the same time. I have been using it since Thanksgiving and I can already see a difference in my muscles especially my arms. I mean I’m getting some guns on me and it is only taking 20 minutes which is a good thing this time of the year with all the holiday craziness. Give it a try you will feel better in just a few minutes a week and it will make you feel less stressed for the holiday and less guilty if you feel like indulging on a few cookies.

This is a personal review based on my excitement for a product. I was not paid or given compensation for this product review.

Face Lift

2010-12-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes change is good. I did a little face lift on my blog page and it makes me feel more me. Sometimes doing things that make you happy are worth the effort in the end, I like my new look.

Pumpkin Spice with Honey Mask

2010-11-29T05:54:00.000-08:00

It is pure heaven on your face. If you enjoy pumpkin and the aroma it has then you will enjoy this pumpkin mask for your face and body. This mask will helps to rejuvenate and return firmness to the skin, while hydrating and restoring elasticity for a younger looking you.

It makes a great gift for all your friends.

Pumpkin Facial Mask

1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons of honey
4 Tablespoons powder milk (makes a richer texture)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Face and Body Scrub

Add raw sugar or brown sugar for a sweet scrub.
Keep Refrigerated

Pumpkin is high in Vitamin A which helps skin heal, Vitamin C which is an anti-oxidant and zinc. The pumpkin builds and heals the tissue to return its firmness.

Honey is an antiseptic, which means it inhibits the growth of bacteria and honey will help hydrate and restore the elasticity.

Milk will help with moisturizing and it is also a alpha hydroxy acid.

You’ve Been “Jolly-ed”

2010-11-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

This year at work the staff did not want to do the Secret Santa gift exchange thing, because of the expense and time that it takes.

So…

I’m going to start You’ve Been “Jolly-ed”, from the idea of Boo-ing in neighborhoods. I’m going to start off with two baskets or buckets and begin it on Monday November 29th. This will give us 15 days to get out 20 “Jolly” baskets before we are off for the winter holidays.

Each person will have a chance to show some one else the spirit of the holidays, that we are all blessed to be surrounded by caring, giving co-workers, but most of all friends.

Here is what I started with:

• 2 plastic buckets from the dollar store

• 1 roll of wired ribbon from the dollar store

• 2 photo copies of a poem and the instructions on what to do

Total cost to start the Jolly buckets $3.00

Here is one of my finished “Jolly” buckets.

Here is what is inside:

• Hand knitted scarf

• Knitted gloves

• Journal

• Menu Planning Calendar

• Hot chocolate mix

• Candy Cane sucker

Let those that you spend large portions of your day with; know that they have meaning to you.

Poem

This treat is for you, we hope you enjoy.

The idea is simple, one we hope you employ.

You pass “Jolly” along to one other co-worker.

Along with any kind of Christmas cheer.

If we all do our part, and spread the good cheer,

By Christmas night it will be very clear,

We’re a friendly bunch, we like to share fun

So please do your part to keep “Jolly” on the run!

Instructions

“You’ve Been Jolly-ed”

*Once you’ve been hit by the “Jolly” bucket it’s your turn to “Jolly” someone else at work.

*Hang your bells on the Jolly board (Bell Stop) in the staff lounge so that everyone can see that you have been “Jollyed”. This will also let you know who you can “Jolly” next. Find a bell with a name in the basket next to the board.

*Fill the bucket with good cheer (treat). Include in the bucket with the treats a copy of the letter, and the red bell with their name on it.

*Place the Jolly bucket where that co-worker will find it along with their name bell on it. Do not let the person that you are “Jolly-ing” see you, or anyone else. This will add to the fun of it all.

Bathroom Caddy

2010-11-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Tip #3

Free up some of your time by having your entire bathroom cleaning supplies in a handy caddy. I like to have everything right there and handy when it comes to the household chores, and the bathroom is no different. When you don’t have to find all the different items to clean the bathroom with, you are able to stay on task and finish faster. When you have different caddies for different jobs around the house, it allows the children to help out with out asking where things are because they are all right there for them. Also by having different caddies for different chores allows the children to do their chore with out bothering one another, chores with out fighting that has a nice ring to it.

Here is what inside…

• Windex

• Bleach and Water solution for shower mildew

• Comet bathroom cleaner

• Ajax

• Old tooth brushes

• Two sponges one for sinks and one for toilet (each in its own separate cup)

• Old Rags

• Roll of Paper Towels

• Rubber Gloves

Turkey Trot

2010-11-21T12:58:00.001-08:00

A group of us ran in the Hands of Hope 5K run, this is the first 5K run I have done since I was in high school cross country 25 years ago. I have to say I will be doing it again for other fund raisers in the area. What a great way to stay in shape, help out organizations and meet new people.

Blog Hop

2010-11-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

Closet Organization

2010-11-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

There comes a time when you just need to organize your things to help stop the stress that can happen in your life. One part of my day that can start the day off wrong is getting dressed in the morning, not being able to find the pair of pants or shoes that I want to wear for that day can send me into a whirl wind. So it has occurred to me that it is time to fix that in my life and that requires me to organize and purge the closet. You have to understand that a year ago I had a huge walk in closet and now that we have downed sized we have to share a 10 foot closet. Yes that means that I only have 5 feet what is a girl to do with only five feet of closet space.

Before pictures: Observe the pile of shoes in the corner and I wonder why I can’t find a matching pair in the morning. Also observe the pile of pants, Capri’s and skirts tossed on the top shelf, I mean I can’t even reach them. I have to have a step stole to get what I want.

The first thing I learned about have to share a closet with husband is that I have to store all the seasonal clothing and rotate as the season changes. I found that the large rubber maid tubs work the best for this. Once I have rotated items I then store the tubs in the corner of the garage.

After Picture: I used closet maid products from target to organize my side of the closet. I used two stacking shelves and placed them in the corner of the closer where there was a lot of wasted space. I used those shelves to store all my pants or other items that could be folded. I also purchased a longer shelf for the bottom of the closer to hold my shoes and placed my dirt clothes basket on top of it.

I also used a storage cube that fight in the stacking shelves for all of my tank tops so that I would not have to use valuable hanger space for all the under shirts.

The total cost for my closet make over from Target was under $45.00, and it has saved me valuable time in the morning and a lot less stress.

Sea Food Chowder

2010-11-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Sea Food chowder is one of my family favorites for winter time and also on game day.

Here is what you will need

1 jar clam juice

1 can tiny shrimp (rinsed)

1 can crabmeat (rinsed)

2 cans minced clams

2 cups Heavy whipping cream

2 cups 2% milk

½ cup Diced Onion

½ cup Diced Celery

5 Slices of Bacon Diced

¼ teaspoon Garlic powder

¼ teaspoon Chicken Bouillon

3 Piled and diced Russet Potatoes

In a large pot brown the diced bacon. Remove from pan. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan, sauteed onion and celery in the bacon fat. Once onions and celery are slightly browned add the 1 jar of clam juice, the juice from the 2 cans of minced clams, and the diced potatoes. Cook on med high heat until the potatoes are tender. When the potatoes are ready add the heavy whipping cream, milk, garlic powder, chicken bouillon, clams, crab and shrimp. Cook on low for 30 minutes. If you would like a thicker soup stir in 2 tablespoons of flour mixed in water.

Meal Planning Monday

2010-11-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Meal Planning Monday

Week of November 8th to 14th

Monday
Hot and Spicy Sloppy Joes
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
Cut Vegetables with dipping sauce

Tuesday
Shredded Chicken and Beef Taquitos
Refried Black Beans
Mexican Red Rice

Wednesday
Beef Stroganoff
Thursday
Left over night
We have left over night so that
We do not waste food.

Friday
Sea Food Chowder
Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread

Saturday
Justin’s Birthday Dinner
He gets to choice what is for dinner
Justin inspired cake
Happy 16th Birthday Justin

Sunday
Pork Roast
Mash Potatoes
Corn

Enjoying The Lives We Live

2010-11-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Enjoying The Lives We Live

Happiness is not a possession. Happiness is a quality of thought, a state of mind.

It makes me happy…

Week 4

• Playing a game of cards with all the kids.
• To have that gut wrenching laugh with your friends
• Sit down dinner for two with your husband. Talking about all the good things that happened
this week.
• Curling up with my blanket and a good novel. It has been awhile since I enjoy a good book
now I remember why I enjoy it so much.
• Baking cookies on a rainy afternoon with your son.
• Hopping in rain puddles during your morning walk. Sometimes it just feels good to act young.
• Stepping on the scale and seeing that you lost another pound.

Household Tips and Tricks

2010-11-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

Tip #2

One of the things that keep’s me on track when it comes to cleaning is having a dusting caddy. My caddy has all my dusting items in it. This allows me to move from room to room with out having to go back and find anything. It also makes it easier for someone to help me with the dusting like the kids.

Here is what inside…

• Old socks great for the children
• Swiffer with extending handle
• Dusting polish of choice
• Scratch cover markers for hiding those scratches the children make

Here is how the kids can help, have them wear a sock on each hand. Then have them go around and dust any surface they wish to dust, reminding them to be careful of items sitting on surfaces. Or you can have the dust the dreaded base boards, children love to help it makes them feel helpful and grown up.

Keeping it clean one house at a time

Follow Friday 40 and Over

2010-11-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 24th edition of the

Follow Friday 40 and Over!!

Are you a blogger over 40? Yeah, welcome to the club!

Please join in the fun and get to know your fellow bloggers!!

The RULES to join in are very simple!

1. Grab the button

2. Add your link to the list

3. Visit as many other blogs as you can

4. Follow the ones you like (and comment on their blog to say that you are following)

NOTE: PLEASE leave your blog address when you leave a comment!! I have had several people wanting to follow back but the blogger can't always be found through the google info page!!

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

While you are here, make sure you check out the

Over 40 Blogger List!!

Be sure to join if you haven't already!

Handmade Christmas

2010-11-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

I found these composition books for $0.25 at the end of the back to school sales. I picked up 8 of them for future use. Not sure at the time I bought them what I would use them for.

I finally decided on using these comp books for Christmas gifts for the girls in the office. I covered each book with fabric and embellished them with ribbon, rick rack, button and crafting flowers. Now these $0.25 comp books are a personalized journal. Here is what I did.

You will need

Comp books

Spray Adhesive

18” X 21” fabric scraps I used Quick Cuts Stax from Wal Mart

Card Stock Craft Paper

Hot Glue Gun

Measure and fold down the edges of fabric to fit the book. Iron the folds.

Spray the outside of the book with the adhesive spray. Place fabric onto the book and rub until it is good and smooth.

Fold the edges under the front and back flap.

Embellish the outside cover with ribbon and any other items you would like to use to make it an original.

Once you are done with placing the ribbon on cover and tucking it under. Cover the inside covers with the card stock scrap booking paper. Adhere the paper with the spray on glue; rub to make sure all edges are good and sealed.

Meal Planning Monday

2010-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Meal Planning Monday

Week of November 1st to 7th

I am still trying to watch my budget and the best way I know how to do that is to find budget friendly recipes. I am still trying to work out the coupon thing, but when you work full time it is hard to go from store to store to get all those good deals. I’m still using them but not like you hear about some other moms are able to do. One of these days I will be able to catch on, I’m not a quitter.

Monday
Backed Chicken
Yams
Salad

Tuesday
Chicken Enchilada Bake (using the left over chicken from the night before)
Refried Beans
Salad

Wednesday
Meatball Soup
Biscuits

Thursday
Left over night
We have left over night so that
We do not waste food.

Friday
Chorizo and Egg Burritos

Saturday
Mahi Mahi Tacos
Fried White Rice

Sunday
Pot Roast with Vegetables
French Bread

Taco Soup

2010-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

1 lb ground beef $2.89 I used ground chuck you can find cheaper meat

1 can stewed tomato $0.93

I can tomato sauce $0.98

1 can corn with juice $0.87

1 cup black beans $0.24

1 cup pinto beans $0.17

1 package taco seasoning $1.28

½ cup chopped onion $0.34

Grated cheese $0.54

Sour cream $0.10

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Drain off fat. Cook onions into the meat. Once onions are done add stew tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, beans and the taco seasoning. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Top bowls with grated cheese, sour cream, diced onions and tortilla chips.

Makes 6 to 8 servings depending on the size of the bowl

For us it is a 6 serving meal. Let’s remember that I have teenage boys.

Total cost: $8.34 Cost per serving of $1.39

For this meal I used previously cooked and frozen beans. I cook my beans in a crock pot and freeze in zip lock bags. (sandwich bags I double bag them) Do not drain your beans you will need a little juice in each bag. Each bag equals one cup.

Household Tips and Tricks

2010-10-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Tip #1

Use Rain-X on your glass shower doors. First clean them really well using your favorite soap scum bathroom cleaner, I use comet bathroom cleaner. Once it is good and dry apply a coat of rain-x to all the glass in the shower. You will be amazed at how this will help repel water spots and soap scum from building up on those glass doors that we all have a love hate relationship with. By applying rain-x it will keeping your shower looking cleaner for longer saving valuable time that we can be spending with family and friends instead of cleaning.

Keeping it clean one house at a time

Journey to College

2010-10-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

What was your college major and did you end up working in the career?

My journey to college was big one; I graduated from a small town high school of fewer than 100 graduating students. I left for college about six weeks later because the closest college was 300 miles away. Eegads! I hopped into my little VW bug and off I went 300 miles away from home. Now you have to understand that I never drove further than 35 miles and that was to go skiing at Mammoth Mountain. This day would be the first time I drove on a freeway and around an area with more than one stop light. I was heading for the city. When I got there I studied T.V., radio and film I mean I was in Hollywood what else would I study? I loved the classes and the creativity behind all of it, but when it came to the real thing hated it. So half way through my major I did a 180 and went into the field of Child Development so that I could become a teacher. I finished my degree and have been teaching and loving it ever since.

Frugal Find at Kohl’s

2010-10-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

It makes your day when you go to the mail box and find $10.00 Kohl’s cash in there and you get to do the Kohl’s cash dance right there standing at your mail box for all the neighbors to see. Hey I beat they do those little dances too. So the next day it was time for a little bit of me time and where do you think I went? Your right to Kohl’s.

I was able to get three tee shirts for the grand total of $2.59. I know you ask yourself why tee shirts. I will say I love the layered look. It allows me to mix and match with different items in my closet to make new outfits.

So the total savings was $35.61 not bad for a days worth of work oh I mean shopping. Love that Kohl's cash.

Meal Planning Monday

2010-10-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Meal Planning Monday

Week of October 25th to 31st

This week I found some new recipes that I would like to try from other cooking blogs. Both blogs show beautiful pictures of their meals and some step by step photos to show you how easy the cooking can be. They are worth checking out when it comes to the meal planning. I am always looking for something new to cook because if keeps me and my family from getting board with the same old thing.

From the Stomach to the Heart

Meal Planning 101

Check out their blogs they are well worth it.

Monday

Lettuce Wraps (From the Stomach to the Heart)

Picture From the Stomach to the Heart

Tuesday

Fireman’s Meatloaf

Wednesday

Tortilla Soup (From the Stomach to the Heart)

Picture From the Stomach to the Heart

Thursday

Meatloaf Sandwiches

Friday

Slow Cooked Beef Stew

Saturday

Chinese-Orange Chicken (Meal Planning 101)

Picture Meal Planning 101

Sunday

Oven Fried Chicken

Enjoying The Lives We Live

2010-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Enjoying The Lives We Live.

Happiness is not a possession. Happiness is a quality of thought, a state of mind.

It makes me happy…
Week 3

• Sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and sharing stories.
• Seeing my children smile and cheer for themselves when they have accomplished something
great.A job well done.
• Seeing all the fall colors as you drive through town.

• Going to the farmers market and while being there seeing all the colors and smells of the fresh
fruit and vegetables. Not to mention the fresh kettle corn being cooked in the middle of the
market. OK you caught me I really go for the kettle corn.

• The smell of the first rain.

· Cheering for the Giants to win and go to the World Series.

GO GIANTS!

· To drink a cup of star bucks pumpkin spice latte.

Learning to recognize and embrace those moments of happiness.

My $5.00 Dinner Challenge

2010-10-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

This week I put myself to the $5.00 dinner challenge and I have to say it was a challenge, because when I cook I make more than 4 servings at a time. Let me just say that I have two teenage boys, one that plays football and the other plays football and lacrosse. One serving for these very active boys just doesn’t cut it. So I have come to the conclusion this week, if I can make a family meal that cost me $1.25 a serving I am happy with that.

Meatball Sandwich

One package of Colombo Sandwich Rolls $1.88

24 Italian Meatballs 1 oz each 4 meatballs on each sandwich $2.64

I purchased the meatballs from Sam’s Club it was a 6 pound bag for $10.99 making the meatballs $0.11 each

Deal Monte Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce $0.98

Parmesan Cheese or Grated Pizza Cheese $0.54

Total Cost: $6.04
Price per serving $1.01

Glitter Pumpkin Deco

2010-10-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Family traditions are really important to my children. They never grow too old to still want to do some of those holiday traditions. I was not up to the mess of carved pumpkins yet. I know that the family can’t wait to carve their pumpkins, I guess they are never are too old to want to create their own original pumpkin carving. I think it is more of a competition now than anything. So we added a new tradition this year and did some glittery pumpkins, since they are the rave this season. As you know I am a frugal mom and was not up to spending the savings on those fancy glitter pumpkins I keep see everywhere. So we went with our own take on the glitter pumpkin. We added white school glue to the paint so that it would give the paint a shiny look; it also allowed the glitter to stick to the wet paint.

• Set pumpkins on trays
• Mix equal parts of paint and glue
• Sprinkle with glitter
• Set out to dry

Make sure you have extra pumpkins because the kids are going to want to make more than one. Once they mad a pumpkin for mom they all decided to make one of a kind painted pumpkins. Tradition is tradition and I’m sure next year they will make me break out the paint and glitter.

Meal Planning Monday

2010-10-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

Week of October 18th to 24th

I have been looking up new recipes on 5$ dollar Dinners. I love this concept of only spending $5.00 on a dinner meal. I mean when you are on a tight budget $5.00 gives it a wow factor. Not only am I going to try some of the meals but I am also going to try and see if I can do a meal for my family for that magic number of $5.00. Here is what we have planned.

Monday
Arlea's One Pot Chicken Dinner

Tuesday

Spaghetti Meat sauce with garden fresh veggies

Wednesday
Meatball Sandwiches (I think I can do this one for $5.00)

Thursday
Grilled Chicken Salad (I should be able to pull this one off for $5.00)

Friday
Chicken Pasta Primavera- $5 Dinner Challenge

Saturday

Taco Chili and Corn Bread

Sunday

Teriyaki Brown Rice Bowls

Will keep you posted on the cost of these other meals.

Friendly Ghost Craft

2010-10-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a group of friendly ghost to welcome your guest. This fun and easy craft will only take about 30 minutes to make. All you will need for the craft is;

• Foam Craft Balls in different sizes

• Black Sharpie Marker

• White Pipe Cleaners

• Cheese Cloth

• Fishing String or Black Yarn

• Hot Glue Gun

First we cut a white pipe cleaner about an inch long. Folded it in half and stuck it in the top of the foam craft ball.

Next the kids drew on simple faces using a sharpie marker.

To give the ghost an illusion of having arms take a whole white pipe cleaner, folded it in half to find the middle. Then we take each end of the pipe cleaner and twisted the end to the middle making two lopes. Once all arms have been formed, place the foam craft ball on top of a glass, this will allow you to hot glue the arms to the bottom of the ghost head.

Once you have all of the ghost head and arms but together cover them with cheese cloth. Tie the cheese cloth with fishing string or black yarn. Hang the friendly friends by the door to greet all of the Halloween guest.

Mahi Mahi Fish Taco

2010-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I love fish tacos, but I needed to find a more health way to eat one, since the only fish taco I have ever had is one deep fried.

Grill the Mahi Mahi in a smoking hot cast iron skillet. Once the skillet is good and hot (you should be able to see smoke coming off the skillet) lightly sprinkle the skillet with canola oil and spread around the skillet with spatula. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Sear fish until brown on both sides. Fish should cook for about 2 ½ minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other side.

Heat corn tortilla shell over a hot burner. Top with tarter sauce, red onion cilantro, shredded lettuce or shredded cabbage. Add a squeeze of lime.

Tarter Sauce

¼ cup of mayonnaise

¼ cup of sour cream

¼ teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon horseradish

1 to 2 slices of claussen kosher dill sandwich slices pickles chopped finely

Pumpkin Party Game

2010-10-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a great fall party game for the little one. They will be learning, laughing and having a good time with this party game.

How to make

I made pumpkin bean bag out of felt (orange, black, brown and green). I was able to get 4 pumpkins out of two craft felt sheets. I hot glued the face, stem, leaf and vine (pipe cleaners wrapped around a ball point pen) to the top piece of the pumpkin. I then sewed a back piece to the pumpkin leaving a hole at the bottom to fill with rice. Once filled with rice I sewed it shut.

I made enough bean bags for a group of 6 children (2 bean bags each) to play a bean bag letter toss game with.

I wrote letters on paper plates that we had been working on over the last few weeks. I then placed the plates on the floor with the basket of pumpkin bean bags.

Each child stands behind the line and tosses their bean bag, trying to land the bean bag onto the plate. As a child landed their bean bag onto a plate they identified the letter and then give the letter sound. If they needed help they asked a friend to help them.

Variations for the game:

• Numbers on the plates
• Picture cards on the plate (building vocabulary)
• Names of people at the part (Early Reading)

When work seems overwhelming I…

2010-10-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

When I’m feeling over whelmed with too many deadlines and not enough time to get it all done or so I think. The first thing I do is go for a quick walk around the block. It always seems to clean the cob webs out and by the time I get back I can think more clearly. Once back I will get things organized and make myself that wonderful thing we all call a list, I prioritize. I that fails I sit down with girls and a half gallon of our favorite ice cream, spoons no bowls and we all dig in. Our problems and stress melt away and at least we can all have a good laugh with one another.

Every good thing is better if you can share it with a friend. (Pam Brown)

Seasonal Corn on the Cob

2010-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

It saddens me that the end of the season is here for fresh corn on the cob. So what did we do we had a corn on the cob feed at work. A local farmer brought in a big gunny sack of fresh corn on the cob. Yes! We couldn’t get that bag shucked fast enough and into a pot of hot water, we didn’t care that it was only 9:30 in the morning we wanted the last of the corn for the year. Boy was it good!

Girls at work shucking the corn.

Here is what we put on the corn on the cob.

1st spread mayo on the corn

2nd roll it in hard cheese like parmesan

3rd sprinkle with chili

Top with a squeeze of lime.

OK so it’s not the best for you with all that mayo, but I’m telling you it is really good. It is worth the life time on the hips or not I just ran an extra few miles to cover the extra calories.

Meet Me On Monday

2010-10-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

1. Do your pants get hung on a hangar or folded?

They are folded in the closet. Just did that the other weekend when organizing the closet.

2. If you are stranded on an Island, what 3 things would you need to have with you (not including humans or electronic devices)?

Hair band (would have to wear my hair up)
Lighter (watched to many Servers’)
Lotion (need soft skin)

3. Where is the farthest you have ever traveled to?

Well I have lived in many different states, but the farthest I have ever traveled would be to Kona Hawaii. I got there and didn’t leave for quit sometime. I always say that if I come up missing you will find me in Kona.

4. Do you live in a house, trailer or apartment, etc.?
I live in a 1964 home. And yes it is older then I but I would not trade it for anything. It fits me just right.

5. What is your most hated household chore?

Hands down, it is washing all those bloody windows. I guess if I would do a room a week it wouldn’t

be that bad, but who wants to do that?

Next to windows are the darn blinds and shutters, who wants the wipe each blade of the blind. Not me.

Chalk Board Jars

2010-10-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have been collecting jars over the last few months so that I could store all of my dried goods in the pantry. They worked great but sometimes you would go into the pantry to get something and something would look the same. (Not a good idea) So to eliminate the problem I used chalk board paint on the jars to label them with. It looks nice and clean and no more mistakes.

You will need chalk board paint, sponge brush, container for paint and blue painters tape.

First tape on a square or rectangle shapes onto the jar using the painters tape. This will give you nice clean lines.

Next brush on the paint, using the sponge brush. Put the paint on real thick so that it will not streak.

Allow the jars to dry.

Peel off tape and write what is inside of the jar with white chalk.

Justin’s Famious Peanutbutter Energy Bars

2010-10-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

¼ cup butter

I 16 oz. Jar of Adams Natural Crunchy Peanut butter

½ cup honey (we use local honey it helps our allergies)

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 tablespoon Molasses (Brer Rabbit mild)

3 to 4 cups of Bran Flakes

¼ cup Craisins or other dry fruit (We like apricots or golden raisins)

Melt butter in a large pan. Once butter is melted add peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, molasses, and corn syrup. Cook on low heat until all ingredients have melted together. About 5 minutes. Next add the bran flakes and dry fruit mix well. Butter a glass rectangle pan, spoon in the mixture and spread evenly. Press down with buttered hands to compact the mixture tightly in the pan. Let cool. Cut into bars.

Top Ten ways

2010-10-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

Top Ten ways we can talk to our children to nurture greatness and create who they are.

Five ways we can take the time to phrase a sentence in the positive way to produce a much better result in our children.

1.)     Try Saying:

          “I bet you had fun making that picture.”
          Instead of:
          “It’s the wrong color.”

2.)      Try Saying:
          “Would you like to tell me about your picture.”
          Instead of:
          “What is it?”

3.)      Try saying:
           “Can you do it yourself or shall I help you?”
            Instead of:
           “You have to do it now.”

4.)        Try saying:
             “That’s a nice job you just did.”
              Instead of:
              “That’s a good boy/girl.”

5.)         Try saying:
             “If we put our jackets on quickly, we’ll have more time outside.”
              Instead of:
              “Hurry up and put your jackets on.”

Five ways we can give our child inner wealth. Instead of “good job” or “thank you,” try using a few extra words that explain what you are seeing in your child. This will make your positive influence even more powerful.

I love the way you are choosing to be cooperative.

I see the way your are paying attention to detail and I appreciate that skill.

I like how you are looking out for others. That’s a nice quality.

You are showing great curiosity, which is a great way to learn.

I see your determination and the effort you have made.

Our children need to hear that they are…

A leader
Courteous
Empathetic
Being wise
Considerate

And the list goes on and on. Let your child know who they are and they will become it. Building our leaders for tomorrow.

Negotiation With the Alarm Clock

2010-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had to have a negotiation with your alarm clock in the morning? I am already a snooze button hitter to begin with, but there are mornings that the alarm goes off and I have that mental negotiation with myself so that I can stay in bed for five more minutes. It goes something like this…

• I won’t curl my hair today (5 more minutes)
• I won’t wear something this morning that needs to be ironed (5 more minutes)
• I will drink my coffee at work (5 more minutes)
• I will order a school lunch (5 more minutes) You know it is going to be one of those days when I am willing to have a school lunch.
• I will eat a granola bar in the car on my way to work (5 more minutes)

What will you negotiate with your alarm clock over for those few more minutes in bed? Leave a comment.

Meet Me On Monday

2010-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

1. What is the best dish you can make?

Chicken Cacciatore is one of our family favorite. We do a mixture of chicken and eggplant. In fact we had it for dinner last night.

Chicken Cacciatore

2. How often do you change your sheets?

Once a week and there is nothing better than to crawl into bed at night with fresh set of sheets from the good old fashion clothes line.

3. What is the longest car trip you have ever taken?

One of the longest but beautiful trips I made was from Sutter California to Post Falls Idaho, 810 miles one way. We took our time and saw the sites on the way.

4. What is your favorite fruit?

I’m going to have to go for fresh peaches with lime squired on top and sprinkled with chili powder. I have to say that it saddens me that the peach season is over.

5. Would you rather have breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?

Will take breakfast for dinner, not much of a breakfast person but I do love biscuits and gravy for dinner.

Product Review

2010-10-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

MR. CLEAN® CLEANING TOOLS

MAGIC ERASER MOP

I hate cleaning; let me say that again I hate cleaning. With two boys, two dogs, a husband and only one tidy daughter who hates to get dirty, I need something that helps me with all that dirt, mud and grime. I have always like the way the Magic Eraser cleaned counter tops, stoves, microwaves, shower doors, shoes and any other dirty grimy surface, but not the floor. That means I would have to get on my hands and knees to use one. Remember I hate cleaning so do I sound like a person that is going to get down on my hands and knees to clean the floor with a little tiny Magic Eraser Sponge, your right No. So when I found the Magic Eraser Mop I did the happy dance right there in the middle of the isle at Target. I did not have to think, ponder or wait for it to go on sale. I bought it right there and then. And yes it works just as great as its partner the sponge.

This is a personal review based on my excitement for a product. I was not paid or given compensation for this product review.

Mr. Clean Special Offer

Working Mom Wednesday

2010-09-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Show us your life/ room/ work/ house/ drive to work, etc. in pictures!

My day as a working mom begins at 5:15 am where the first stop in the kitchen to have that morning cup of wake up.

Once I have the proper mixture of cream and coffee I head to the couch where I sit with my grandma’s quilt and enjoy my coffee with the morning news or a show on HGTV.

Once I wake up which takes me awhile because I’m not one for mornings. I head to our huge master bathroom.

OK so I stretch the truth a little we have an extremely small bath room that’s right you are looking at all of it. All that is missing from this picture is the door to the shower that you have to turn sideways to get in because it is the size of a refrigerator. Once ready I’m out the door by 6:45 am, for my commute through the rice fields and fruit orchards.

Once at work, I have the best job ever and that is to play! I’m a preschool teacher where I get to help working moms like you have a great day knowing that their children are in good hands learning a playing so that they can tell you all about their adventures at school.

Come and see what I do at Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

You have to laugh when…

2010-09-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

You have to laugh when you hear your co-worker calling your name and “Yelling I need your help in here.” You walk down the hall to find her with her butt up in the air reaching between her desk. In a soft whisper you here her say “I’m stuck.” Once I stopped laughing which took me a few minutes. She yells, “I’m being serious I’m stuck to a mouse trap, it’s stuck to my dog tag (name badge on a layered) which is stuck to the desk.” She thought I was laughing before once she said that I laughed so hard I could not breath. Once I started laughing she started laughing and we had a hard time composing our selves to get her unstuck. We are talking those industrial sticky mouse traps have some serous stick to them. It took everything I had to get her unstuck off that desk, and then what? It stuck to me, both hands. Nothing like a good laugh to get the day going.

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. Yiddish Proverb

Enjoying The Lives We Live

2010-09-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Happiness is not a possession. Happiness is a quality of thought, a state of mind.

It makes me happy…

• To swim in a cool mountain lake (for the last time this year)
• To have the whole family around the dinner table sharing what happened that day
• Cheering for number 70 at the Friday Night Football game
• Eating Chilly Boats while sitting in the bleachers
• Taking that perfect picture that captures the beauty of where you are.

Learning to recognize and embrace those moments of happiness.

Leave a link about the things that made you happy this week.

Friday Five

2010-09-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

1.) What’s your “comfort food?”

There is nothing like a warm bowl of Carmel Pop Corn to go with a good chick flick.

2.) One thing that’s on your mind now.

The one thing that is on my mind right now is the relief of not having to wake up to my alarm clock in the morning.

3.) What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

You have to wrestle for your destiny and when you do you will excel in strength. There will be a blessing of destiny coming out of the struggle.

4.) If you found $10.00 today what would you do with it?
I would try to find the owner of it and if I could not do that I would donate it to Great American Bake Sale to help feed at risk children of hunger in America.

5.) What is your least favorite thing to clean in your house?
Hands down, it is washing all those bloody windows. I guess if I would do a room a week it wouldn’t be that bad, but who wants to do that?

You Know You’re a Working Mom When….

2010-09-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

• You don’t have time to write Working Mom Wednesday until Saturday Morning while you sip on your coffee and catch up on your reading.

• You rush our the door only to find out when you get to work that you have on two different color shoes, since you put them on in the dark. This happens because you find a really comfortable shoe and you buy them in two different colors.

• You find out at lunch time that you have your son’s lunch and he has yours. Hope he likes that whole wheat, cream cheese, and veggie sandwich.

• You run home to make dinner and all you have time for is a Stouffer’s Frozen Family Lasagna and a bag salad, before running back out the door for sports practice.

• Your only time for a work out is the 10 minutes between this and that and you hope those minutes add up to a full work out for the day.

Home Office Make Over

2010-09-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

School has started and now it’s time for us moms to organize our desk and get a fresh start on the new school year. Make your perssonel space at home as inviting as possible. My home office is important to me since I spend a lot of my time there, I wanted things to be accessible, but neat.

Before

After

The first thing I did was remove the doors from the cabinet. I found matching baskets to place items in that I want at hand. (Baskets from ROSS) I labeled each basket with scrap booking paper.

Next I Mod Podged empty cereal boxes to place in my desk compartments to help keep order to items that I keep in there. Example: receipts and note cards. The cereal box idea came from Get Your Crap Together

I made the wine cork board to place above my desk and when I was at Target all the school supply items were on sale 30% off so I picked up two more wall boards to go with it. (Originally $5.00 on sale for $3.50) The wall display over my desk finished my project of organizing my home office. Let’s just hope I can keep everything in it neat nice place.

Wine Cork Board

2010-09-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

I made a cork board out of old wine corks that I had been saving over the years. That I hung over my desk to keep track of appointments and other business cards that are import to have at reach.

First I hot glued the corks to a paint stick

Once I had all the corks on the stick I filled in between each cork to make a solid foundation.

I made two strips of corks

Once I had both paint sticks filled with corks I placed a third paint stick in the middle and glued that one to the underside edges of the corks. Next I hot glued a ribbon so that I could have something to hand the cork board from.

Meal planning Monday

2010-08-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Monday is the day I plan my menu for the following week, which is for us Saturday through Friday, since I do most of my grocery shopping on Saturday. If I start menu planning on Monday it gives me the rest of the week to go through the sale fliers and coupons to find the best buys on the foods I need. I have to admit as I go through the fliers my menu might change, but it changes for the sack of saving money.

The fist meal I plan is our big family meal. When you have teens and college students for children you are lucky if you get one meal a week with everyone around the family table. I plan this meal first because I make a big portion of meat. This meat can then be used for other meals through out the week.

Week of September 4, 2010 to September 10, 2010

Saturday

Tri Tip
Scallop Potatoes
Grilled Vegetables (From Garden)

Sunday
Roasted Chicken
Brown Rice
Fried Eggplant (From Garden)

Monday
Tri Tip Sandwiches with Aujius
Raw Vegetables with ranch dressing

Tuesday
Chicken Enchiladas
Refried Black Beans
Green Salad

Wednesday
Grilled Chicken
Sautéed Zucchini, eggplant and yellow squash (From Garden)
Over wheat noodles

Thursday
Left over night
We have left over night so that
We do not waste food.

Friday
Friday night has to be fast, because it’s football night
And the boys have to be back at school early.
BLT and Turkey Sandwiches with garden fresh tomatoes

Enjoying The Lives We Live

2010-08-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Happiness is not a possession. Happiness is a quality of thought, a state of mind.

Most of us do not realize the true sense of our own happiness. We need to take the time and become aware of what really makes us happy in our day to day lives.

On Sunday I will take the time to be aware and reflect upon all the things that I am thankful for and the things that make me happy to be living the life I live. I will take time to embrace those moments of true happiness and contentment. Thanking God for all those little things that he has given me.

Week One

• Thank you god for touching your hand on Cody as you brought him through his procedure with ease on Thursday.

It makes me happy…

• When my 18 year old son put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Some day I hope I can be a parent like you.”
• To cut flowers from my garden and see the smile it brought to the face of one of my co-works when she found them on her desk.
• That I sit on the porch with my feet up in the chair sipping my coffee and talking with my neighbor.
• To not wake up to my alarm on Saturday morning.
• When I smelled my favorite candle burning when I walk in the door from work.
• When my husband listened to how my day went at work.
• That we went to the mountains with the top off the jeep and wind blew through my hair.

Share with us you’re happy moments and time of thankfulness that has happened to you this week.

Childhood Memories

2010-08-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

Today as I cut a small vase of flowers from the garden, a flood of memories came to me about my grandma B and me. It is amazing that small things you do in your life can bring back such vivid memories as if they happened yesterday. As I cut the flowers I could see what she was wear while she was in the garden cutting flowers for her garden parties and I could smell the aromas that would be come from the kitchen as she prepared for her guest. It was like I was there again hearing the laughter and the joy that the togetherness would bring.

I will be planting a bigger patch of my grandma B favorite flowers next year and I know that the memories will come again and we will be making memories of our own.

Trimming Your Monthly Budget

2010-08-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

• Turn off some of those cable boxes through out the house. Each boxes cost you $4.95 a month. (We saved $14.89 a month)

• Look at your phone bill. Turn off some of those features like call waiting, phone messaging and caller ID and you can save up to $10.00 a month. (We saved $8.95 a month)

• Cut back on magazine purchases to just one and start trading monthly magazines with friends. This will help you save about $4.00 an issue. (We saved $8.97 a month)

• No more bottled water, instead use a water filter pitcher. Saving around $5.00 a case. (We saved $20.00 a month)

• Go for a walk or a run with a friend or family member instead of paying that monthly gym payment. (Savings of $25.00 a month.) If you want the change up your work out go to the library and check out a workout DVD.

Once you have done all the trimming on your budget add up the monthly savings and take those saving and place them toward a credit card debt. Start with the lowest balance first and work your way up.

I created $77.81 saving on my budget by cutting the things from above. I then took those savings and put it toward one of my credit cards that had a $218.00 balance on it and I was making a payment of $25.00 a month on it and not getting anywhere fast. Once I combined my savings of $77.81 to the $25.00 I was able to make a monthly payment of $103.00 a month. That let me pay off this debt in less than three months. Now I am taking that monthly savings and placing it toward another credit card debt of just under $4,000.00 dollars. I was paying $120.00 a month and know I will be able to make a payment of $223.00. This will take me 22 months to pay off that credit card debt. My goal is going to be 18 months; I will find something else to cut so that I can pay it off faster.

If you want to know how long it will take you to pay off your credit card debt log on to http://www.walletpop.com/calculators

Canning Peppers

2010-08-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Our garden has been producing plenty of pepper for our fresh salsa and also canning them for the year. Here is how we have been canning all of our peppers.

Yields One Pint

1/3 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Oregano
2 medium garlic cloves
½ bay leaf or one small bay leaf

4 parts vinegar to part water (Regina distilled white champagne vinegar)

Stuff pepper in jar… Boil all ingredients and pour into sterilized jar and seal.

Note: Sterilize jars and lids and seals by boiling for 3 minutes. Stuff warm jars.

While jars are sterilizing cut peppers into rings or you can leave them hole if they are small peppers.

Once jars have cooled check the seal by pressing the top if it pops the jar is not sealed. Place that jar in the refrigerator and all others can be placed in pantry for later use.

Why just a pint yield? Because you pick as your garden makes. You may increase recipe as needed.

Money Saving Meal Tip

2010-07-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

When making a meal stretch or cutting the cost on one, I will add beans to the recipe. You can add beans to;

• Taco/Burrito Meat
• Enchiladas
• Salads
• Soups

Turkey Burritos with Black Beans

1 ½ lbs Ground Turkey Meat
2 cans Black Beans with juice
½ envelope of burrito seasoning
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup chopped yellow onion

Cook meat. Once meat is done add the chopped onion, minced garlic, beans with juice and the seasoning. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Burrito Garnishments

• Grated Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Shredded lettuce
• Salsa
• Red Onions

Total Cost: Under $10.00 for family of 5

To even save more make your own pot of beans and freeze in zip lock bags. You can buy a bag of beans for $0.88 to $1.29. Each bag of beans will make the equivalent of 4 cans of beans. When I cook my beans I use the crock pot. Wash beans add water so that it cover about one inch over the beans. Add minced garlic and onion. Depending on the beans it takes 3 to 8 hours to cook beans in the crock pot. When I cook them I cook a large batch and freeze them in individual zip lock sandwich bags and then place the small bags into a larger freezer bag.

Movie Date Night

2010-07-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

We have started a movie night with our teens and their dates. It started when our oldest son was complaining to me that there was nothing to do with his girlfriend but go to the movies which he can’t afford to do all the time. Little did he know I was going “YES” under my breath. He was listening and bringing to practice what we were trying to pass down to him. Sometimes simple is more fun and rewarding. Oh and less money.

Our teen date movie night happens once a month. Here’s how it goes:

• Each family member picks out a movie of choice. Each movie picked is written on a sheet of paper, folded and placed in a jar. Shake jar and mom picks a movie. Mom is the only one who knows the movie feature. This will eliminate the complaining.
• Each child gets to bring a date or friend to the movie night.
• We remove the coffee table from the movie screening area and place floor pillows around the movie screening area.
• Bowls of popcorn, drinks and candy are available for enjoyment.

Jell-o Popcorn

Movie night favorite

3 bags of Jolly Time Light Crispy’n White popcorn

¼ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

2 Table spoons of light corn syrup

1 3oz box of Jell-O (our favorite flavor is raspberry)

Pop popcorn and place in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Once butter is melted add brown sugar, jell-o and corn syrup. Stir and cook on medium heat until it starts to boil. Once it boils turn down heat to low and continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour syrup over the popcorn mixing as you go. Spread out popcorn mixture onto cookie sheets and bake in the oven on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove cookie sheets and let cool. Break up popcorn and place into small serving bowls.

Cost of Jell-o Popcorn: $3.09

Movie Theater Date

Group of 8
Movie Tickets = $63.60
Popcorn/Drinks/Candy= $40.00
Total: $103.60

Home Movie Date
Group of 8
DVD Rental= $3.99
Popcorn/Drinks/Candy=$8.00
Total: $11.99

Total Savings: $91.61 for home movie night

Added bonus you get to spend time with your children and their friends. It is a great way to get to know who your children hang out with.

Helping Your Teen Land A Job

2010-07-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Helping Your Teen Land A Job

In today’s market it is harder for our teens to land their firs job. It took our oldest son eleven months before he was able to find his first job. Here are some of the things we did to help him succeed in landing that first job.

• Talked with family and friends to see if they knew anyone that was hiring.
• Have them network at church and other organizations that they attend, to see if they can get
any leads.
• Have them do volunteer work. Volunteering will help them gain experiences, which will lead to good job references.
• Help them writ a resume.
• Have them include a letter of interest with all of their applications. They have to learn to sell themselves.
• Have them practice what they will say and do before they ask if they are hiring.
• Make sure they dress and look appropriate. First impression goes a long way.

Let your child know that they are trying and you understand that it is harder to find that first job in today’s times. Don’t let them get discouraged their day will come.

Rainbow Cake with Milk

2010-07-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

We have started a new tradition this year with our birthday cakes. When it is ones birthday they get to challenge us (me) to a unique birthday cake just for them. Unique meaning the flavor of the cake not the decorating of them, once I get the baking down we will talk about the decorating. We came up with this idea after making a cake known as the better than sex cake for a special occasion. My family loved the cake and wanted one for their birthday, but with their own twist. Not only are we having fun doing it but we have saved our family a total of $229.90 this year.

Purchased Cake $38.00 for a nine inch round

Homemade Cake Average cost of $8.00 to $10.00.

Savings for each cake about $29.00

Rainbow Cake with Milk

1 box Rainbow Cake Mix
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 small container of cool wipe
1 8 oz. cream cheese
Powder Sugar
Mini M&M’s

Bake cake to the packaged directions

Let cool for about 15 minutes. After cake has cooled for 15 minutes pock holes using the end of a wooden spoon. About 1 hole every ½ inch to an inch. Next drizzle the condensed milk over the top of the cake. Let cool and frost with frosting.

Frosting

Mix with mixer room temperature cream cheese with powder sugar. Add powder sugar to the desired sweetness. Once you have the cream cheese and powder sugar mixed together fold in the container of cool whip.

Money Saving Solutions

2010-07-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

• Grow your own Vegetables: Not only will you save your family money, but you will know that your family is getting the freshest and most nutritious vegetables out there.
• Can and Freeze: Can and freeze what you grow and also what is in season. This will save you money through out the year.
• Meal Planning: Plan your meals and make a list before you hit the grocery store. This will keep you on track with what needs to be purchased and save you from making those impulse buys.
• Cook and Freeze: When cooking dinner make a little extra for freezing. Place in individual containers so that it can be used for a packed lunch. My husband and I do packed lunches for work. The children come home for lunch and choose what they want to heat up for lunch; we are down the street from their school.
• Bread and Tortillas: Make your own bread and tortillas these daily items that you eat will save you money when you make your own.
• Dried Beans: Use dried beans in recipies to stretch the meal. I will cook a pot of beans in the crock pot and then freeze in one cup portions for putting into my recipes to help stretch the meal. When you have teenagers you need to stretch.
• Filtered Water: We have turned to filtered water instead of bottle water. Not only does it save on the monthly food bill but it helps save the environment.
• Coupons and Club Cards: When shopping use your coupons along with the story savings cards. This will help you save extra on your grocery bill.
• Save your Receipts: This will allow you to see how much a meal cost and how you could shave the saving on the meal.
• Ten Second Rule: My mom has always told us to do the 10 second rule when purchasing something she says to ask your self, do I really need it? How much will I use it? Will I really enjoy it?
• Bartering: We barter with friends and family. Trading services with one another instead of spending money on services.

Family Vegetable Plot

2010-06-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

With our move over the last year I knew that it would take me awhile before I had the garden I wanted and needed to help save the family money. We worked all through the winter and early spring to get a corner of our back yard ready for the new family vegetable plot. My oldest son and husband worked hard to get up the new fence, which was built by using money that we had saved using coupons through out the year. Each time we used a coupon we placed the savings into a garden jar. Remember we as a family are not using credit any more. Once the fence was up it was up to me and my youngest son to plan the vegetable garden and plant it. This journey has brought us together, and helped us build knowledge, and skills that will be useful for a lifetime. Both boys also walked away from the project with a since of accomplishment of a job well done.

We all have our eyes on the first tomato of the season.

Simplicity

2009-11-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

Well we have moved and it has been a long journeys to get were we are today, but the journey we took has lead us closer together as a family. Thank you God for showing me that simplicity is a better way!

Coupon Clipping

2008-11-02T18:26:00.001-08:00

Coupon clipping was not as simple as I thought it would be! Did I save money? Yes, but it was a lot more work than I thought it would be.

I have now finished my second shopping trip of coupon clipping and finding the best savings for my family. The first trip was not a fruitful savings trip. I saved a total of $4.25 which was disappointing to me. My oldest son made it sound better when he made me think about it as an hourly wage. “If you made minimum wage an hour you would have had to work for 3o minutes.” Ok that sounds more like it that is 3o minutes I can spend with my family doing something that I enjoy instead of working. That gave me the drive to try my hand at coupon clipping again this week and I must say that it was a little bit more fruitful than the first, $19.75 to be exact. That means I have saved $24.00 this month on our family grocery bill. Ok so it is not as much as what I have read about or have heard about on the talk shows, but it is a start in the right direction and now it is a family challenge to see how much we can save on groceries. Maybe we will take a trip with the savings!

Handmade Lunch Sack

2008-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Since I have been bring my lunch to work with me I decided to make myself feel like I am going to having this nice relaxing lunch time. So I made myself a vintage lunch sack. I used the pattern that I found in bend-the-rules sewing and I used old vintage fabric that I inherited from my mother in-law. (Some of the fabric in the box dates back to the fifties.)

Another Way to Save Save Money!

2008-10-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Monday is the day I’m going to start saving from going out to lunch to brown bagging it. I do bring my lunch but only about two times a week and the rest of the week I am weak and go with coworkers to lunch, which is costing me about $5.00 a day (sometimes less and sometimes more). When that $5.00 could go to something much more important like my mortgage! That will be a savings of about $60.00 a month. Bring my total savings to…($98.00) and counting.

Coupon Clipping

2008-10-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

I’m giving coupons a try again after fifteen years. I figure that it kept me from starving to death in college, so then it can keep food on my table in these economic hard times. I just cut my first batch and printed my first batch of coupons from Coupon.com. This was the easiest and best site I found so far. I will let you know how the shopping went and savings went on my next entry.

Debt Free

2008-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

A family that saves together stays together.

Today was the day that I cut up all of my credit cards except one for emergency only. I hope to have them paid off with in the next year which will give ma a saving of $150.00 a month. I placed all the pieces in a jar and placed them on my desk to remind me of my goal and that I never want to be in debt again, which in turn will be the biggest savings for my family.

Saving Quest

2008-10-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

There must be more to life than having everything. Maurich Sendak

Our quest to save! With a family of five, two females and 3 males, we all shave. When asked to purchase more razors, my first response was, “I just bought razors.” The teacher in me came out and I did the math. We as a family are consuming 8 to 10 triple bladed razor heads a month. Costing us $1.75 each a cost of $17.50. With our savings quest in mind I found razors for $0.42 each a total of $4.20 a month saving us $13.30. Come to find out all of us like the 42 cent razors better and they seem to last longer as well, which will equate to more savings.
Total monthly savings $38.30 our goal is to save and be less stressed in the end. Giving us more quality time with the children.

Time to Save

2008-10-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

I find myself trying to save, save on food, save on house hold products, and ways to save on energy. This economy is taking a toll on my family. My family finds themselves living on a single income after always just surviving on two. I know that it is not just happening to my family, but many others as we find ourselves being touched by these economic hard times.

Saving, Saving and more saving. What have we been doing as a family to save? First thing we have cut back on renting movies for the family saving us any where between $20.00 to $30.00 a month. You ask what do we do instead with a house of teenagers! Yes I said teenagers and we can't watch a movie... We have become a family of the good old board games, which has in turn brought our family closer together. It has created a great time to communicate and enjoy one another's time. So I should say this saving thing has been challenging but it has also brought us together and created a much closer family!

I will continue sharing our saving tips that in turn are bring us all closer.