Menu Planning

My mom has been bugging me to try e-mealz for a long time because she thought it would help simplify my life. I kept putting it off as motherly advice and something I didn't need. During her last visit, though, I finally gave in to her nagging suggestion. : )

I'm so happy I did. I love, love, love this system!

I've tried online meal planning systems before and they just didn't work.

Here's how this one is different:

1. The meals taste really good!

We've been doing this for two weeks now and haven't had a meal we didn't like. My family has been very happy! With the old plans we were lucky to get a 50% family approval rate. Some of the meals were terrible.

2. Easy to read and only two pieces of paper-

Each week on Thursday, I log in and print off my menu plan and grocery list for Wal-Mart. It is well organized, easy to read, and fits on two pieces of paper- one grocery list spreadsheet and one menu plan spreadsheet that include all of the directions for preparing the meals. The other plans I tried, I would have to print pages and pages of directions and recipes.

3. I'm not wasting ingredients-

The old plans would have me buy a jar of expensive pesto sauce for one meal that I would never use again. I've noticed that with this plan, ingredients get used again to prevent being wasteful.

4. It's easy to skip meals we won't use-

The grocery list is numbered according to what meal the item is needed for, so it is very easy to mark off items if I know I won't be making that meal this week. If we are going out to dinner or to a friend's house one night, I just cross off one meal from the menu plan and each item on the list that has that meal's number.

5. Not every meal is some complicated major recipe-

I got burned out on cooking with the old plans. With this one, there are some more detailed recipes (like Chicken Florentine Lasagna- YUMMMY!!!) but one night we had Pigs in a Blanket (hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls- which the kids LOVED) and another night was soup and sandwiches to use up the leftover meat from the roast the night before. It is so practical and easy!!

6. It is easy to budget for-

When I signed up, I chose the grocery store I would be using (Wal-Mart) and the grocery list gives me an estimated cost for each item and an approximate total. I've noticed that they try to include items on sale that week in the recipes for the week.

The whole system only costs $5 a month (billed every three months for $15), and because I found a coupon code from Dave Ramsey, it only cost $12.50 for these first three months. (The code was DAVE) I can budget for the cost out of our grocery budget.

I cannot put into words how great it has felt to:

1. Not get to 5:00 and have to ask the dreaded question, "What are we going to eat for dinner???"

2. Feed my family well.

You can also choose to do a menu plan for only 2 people if you are newlyweds or empty nesters or you can choose a diet plan like Weight Watchers or low carb.

I'm sorry if I sound like an infomercial. I'll stop now. I'm just so thankful for this and wanted to share the joy. LOL. : )

Here's the link again if you want to give it a try:

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My New Friend

Let me introduce you to my new friend:

Mr. Dish Drying Rack

Truthfully, this is one of those blogs posts I feel silly writing. I imagine you sitting at your computers saying out loud, "Duh, Becky."

But I figured I'd share anyway in case there is someone else out there ending every day facing a mountain of dishes.

Transitioning to homeschool seemed to double the amount of dishes waiting for me at the end of the day because the girls are home eating all three meals, making snacks, etc. Busy with lessons and adventures and crafts, we'd throw the dishes in the sink. Some nights I was so tired, I'd leave them until morning. Isn't it depressing to wake up to a dirty kitchen?

I tried something new this week and it has been a dish washing miracle for me. I start the day by filling the sink with hot soapy water and put the drying rack next to it. The rule for the day is, "You use it, You wash it."

After school, the girls' chore is to put all clean dishes from the drying rack and the dishwasher away before I start dinner. As I cook, I clean each dish immediately and put it in the handy dandy drying rack or rinse it and put it in the empty dishwasher. Then after dinner, they all put their dishes directly into the empty dishwasher, and I turn it on before I go to bed.

Also, they choose a "cup of the day" that is rinsed after each use and left on the counter. One cup a day has cut down on dishes, too. I just tucked in the kids and guess what? I don't have any dishes left to do. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with all of this free time? : )

So far it's working great!

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W.O.W. Results- Room to Move and Create

I'm thankful more of you jumped in for this week's W.O.W. Challenge. So many other "priorities" and distractions popped up this week I wasn't expecting. I would not have finished as much without the accountability of knowing I'd have to report to you how I did.


I'm excited that the area is now cleaned up. I can see the floor and I have space to sew and scrapbook. Now if I only had the time! : )


My Messy Craft/Office Area Behind the Couch

Before:




Here it is After One Week:


Actually, I'm sitting in front of that laptop right now. : )

I'd hoped to have it decorated and organized as well, but that proved to be more than a week's worth of work. Well at least more than this week could handle. But like I always say, I'm celebrating how much further ahead I am on it than I was last week.

The additional organizing and decorating might be my next W.O.W. project. Anyone up for an October W.O.W. challenge? Hope so. I need the motivation to finish this thing.


I'm especially excited about the thread spool holder I made:


Remember how I've been grounded from spending more money on decorating? Well, this was my cost-free solution. My in-laws gave me this cool antique printer's tray but I didn't know what to do with it. It sat in the garage for years waiting for me to be inspired.


When I was searching for decorating possibilities in the garage the other day, I found it and remembered the leftover pain from my green wall. Voila! Inspiration! Thanks Joe and Nancy! : )

I had really hoped to have it actually mounted to the wall for this unveiling, but I promised King Charming that I wouldn't drill holes in "his studs" without his help, so I have to wait for him to get to the "Honey-Do" list before it will be up.

Hurry up, Honey. : )

Your turn! How did your projects go? Link up and then tomorrow I'll announce the coffee winner.

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W.O.W. Results- Prince Charming's New Pad

I had so much fun with this Within One Week (W.O.W.) contest. They always motivate me. I need to take a room a week and do this to my whole house. Right now, Prince Charming's room is the only clean room in the house because I've been so focused on it all week.

Ready for the After Pictures? (Click here to see the before pictures if you missed it)

Drum roll please:

A Room Fit for a Prince:

Or a Room Fit for an All-Star! : )

My friend, Daiquiri made this teddy bear for me. I love it!

Wasn't my Papa handsome? I want to get this framed and up on the wall very soon. (I miss you Papa.)

A cozy corner to rock to sleep. Guess who made the quilt? Yeah, I told you she was my "Martha Stewart friend without the criminal record." : )



All "Baby" clothes put away and "Big-Boy" clothes are hung up.



Even a new light switch cover.

Wow! Way to go Mommy!

My favorite part of the whole room is this cool dump truck.

In fact, I could really care less about anything else than this cool dump truck.

Thanks, Mom!

Update on my mom's project:

She had a girl in her church who needed her help to finish a bridesmaid dress she was sewing, so Mom had to put her sundress aside in order to help. She said she was disappointed to not get it done for W.O.W. but she promised to email me pictures to share with you all when she does get it finished. She got a kick out of all of you cheering her on. Thanks!

I can't wait to see how the rest of you did with your projects. Put your name and a link to your blog in Mr. Linky below, and we'll all come to check it out and congratulate you for whatever you were able to get done in one week. Even if it wasn't all you hoped to accomplish, it is more than you had done last week!

I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner from the Mr. Linky on this post and I'll let you know who the winner is on Friday. Thanks for playing along! It really was fun for me!

Don't worry~ I'll host another one soon for those of you who missed out this time around.

Love,

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15 Minutes at a Time

Thanks to all of you who are cheering me on with W.O.W. You can still join in any time! There are seven people playing along with me this round, and I promised if we had 10, I'd up the prize. (Bribe, bribe) So if you are thinking about it, jump on board. There is still lots of time before Wednesday.

I felt bad about how confusing I made it all sound. If you want me to add your link to the Mr. Linky, I don't mind at all. Just pick a goal to get done before Wednesday, blog about it, and then let me know. Even if you aren't playing with us this time, we could all use some encouraging comments to keep us motivated. : ) Links to the blogs of the other people playing are at the bottom of my last post. My mom doesn't have a blog (she's sewing herself a sundress this week) so she is using my blog. You can just cheer her on in my comments section, and I'll post her final pictures next Wednesday along with my wrap up.

I'm working on Prince Charming's nursery. I've been setting my timer for 15 minutes each day and that's all I've done so far in there. I'm actually amazed at how much I can accomplish in just 15 minutes if I stay focused.

I hope you are all having fun with this! (And I promise I'll have some non-W.O.W. posts up soon for those of you tired of all of this productivity. Hee Hee)

Love,

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I Love, Love, Love My Calendar

Last year, I was given the BEST calendar for a family. It is so great, even my husband commented on how much he likes our calendar, and he is not the type of man to notice or care about a calendar.


Here it is in all its glory:
It is called "More Time Mom's: Family Organizer." Here's a little about it:

- Extra large, lined squares where I can record several events for different family members, or add important details like phone numbers to RSVP
- Great stickers for activities. My kids have fun adding the stickers and make sure I don't forget to add them.
- It is a 16 month calendar. (Too bad I wasn't organized enough to buy the 2009 Calendar in September to take full advantage of it. Next year I'll have it marked on my calendar to buy in August)

It has just been a super practical calendar that has helped so much to keep our family organized. It works for me!

Oh yeah, one more thing! I noticed I'm on the last month of my beloved calendar. Hint to Santa: Replacing my calendar would be an AWESOME stocking stuffer.
(Yes- I'm 32 years old and still have a stocking. Santa loves me. I'm a really, really good girl) : )


You can click here to see what is working this week for other bloggers.

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Organizing Earrings

Recently, my daughters had their ears pierced. We decided it was time to try taking out the original studs and putting in a new pair, but before we did, I knew we needed a system for organizing their new earrings.

I remembered this system my mom and I used when I was a teenager.

I think my mom is still using hers, but somehow over the years mine got lost. I have been meaning to make a new one, so yesterday the girls and I stopped by the craft store and picked up the supplies to make one for each of us.

Here's how to make your own:

Supplies:

I'm sorry I don't know the official name for these. I guess I'll refer to it as the plastic thingy. : ) They are used for latch hook rugs and remind me of a plastic version of cross stich fabric. We found it in the yarn section of the Michael's Craft store near the cross stich materials.

A child size pants/skirt hanger:

That's all you need! : )

I let the girls pick out their own colors (purple and pink of course) and we already had the hangers at home.

Total cost of project: .39 cents each

Steps:

1. Attach the hanger to the top of your plastic thingy. : )
2. Hang earrings through front and attach earring backs on the back side of plastic thingy. Some earrings are all one piece and can be attached to the side.
3. Hang in your closet.
4. Voila! Organized. : )



Works for me....


You can read my past WFMW posts here.

You can find all of the other WFMW tips at Rock's In My Dryer. Enjoy!

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Organizing Baby Clothes

In my last post, I mentioned how special it has been for me to be preparing for our new baby boy. My friends have been incredibly generous with hand-me-downs, and I'm enjoying hanging up and organizing all of these precious, tiny clothes.

These clothes dividers have been very helpful in keeping all of these tiny outfits organized:

I picked them up at Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory) years ago, before my first daughter was born, but when I Googled them tonight, I found a lot of them available online. (Here's an example)

My friends have been SO generous, they've given me clothes in great condition all the way through size 3T. Instead of going into the closet right now and cluttering up Baby's room, all clothes over 6 months are being stored like this:

When Baby outgrows the newborn size, I'll bring in the 6-9 months from the garage and rotate the clothes. The less stuff in his room to keep organized, the happier I am. : ) I like the uncluttered feel/look.

Works for me.....

Here's what's working for other bloggers this week.

If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by! You can read my past WFMW posts here. Come back and visit again! : )

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Works for Me Wednesday- Kids Chores

My girls are computer junkies. (I'm sure it is genetic- comes from King Charming) ; )

They adore anything that has to do with computers, so they fell in love with this online system for managing kids chores.

The best part about this system is it's price: FREE. Parents create an online chore chart and kids check them off as they complete them. Parents grade how well the chores were done, and kids earn handipoints to spend on their online pet. It can also be used to earn rewards/allowance that families set up.


This is actually our second attempt at using Handipoints. Here are some tips that will help you learn from the mistakes that I made:


1. Keep it VERY simple. The first time I tried to use Handipoints I had a morning, afternoon, evening, and weekly checklist. It was just too much. Start out with a simple list so it is easy or this system won't last. You can always add more later. It is only as complicated as you make it and believe me, I made it COMPLICATED last time.


2. It works best for kids who can read so they can do their charts independently. (Our girls just turned 5 an 6). My youngest is a beginning reader, so her big sister will have to help her read the tough words.


For right now, I'm just doing our summer morning routine. They have to have this checked off before they can go out and play with friends.

Enjoy! You can stop by Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips.


If you're visiting from WFMW~ Welcome!
Here's my other WFMW posts
Lately I've been blogging about my little brother, Moon Boots, and Underoos. : )
You can learn about me here. Please come back and visit again soon.

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W.O.W. Results! How Did You Do?

I know you are all dying to know how I did this week for our W.O.W. Carnival, right? Hee Hee

BEFORE: Remember where I started the week?

AFTER: Did I do it or not? : )

I truly think that I get the most out of these W.O.W. blog carnivals. : ) Thank you so much for the motivation. Getting our bedroom done during the last carnival and now having the nursery ready to decorate feels so good. (As soon as I figure out what curtains to put up, I'll show you the before and after pics of the decorating I did in our Master Bedroom)

So how did this week go for you? Even if you didn't get everything done that you planned, leave a link below and let us help you celebrate what you did accomplish within one week.

I'll use the Mr. Linky list below and a random number generator to decide on Friday who the Starbucks winner will be. Good Luck! Thanks again for playing along!

I'm interested to know how you all feel about these Within One Week carnivals. Are they fun? Helpful? How often would you like to participate in one? Every other week? Once a month? A couple times a year? I'll use your feedback to decide how often I host the WOW carnival.

Can't wait to see all of your hard work!

Love,

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Within One Week I Will....

Ready to dig in again? : )

It's time for you to tell us all what goal you'd like to accomplish this week. Not sure what you want to work on this week? Click here for ideas.

It was hard for me to choose....I have so many things I 'd like to see done around the house. I also have writing goals and exercise goals, too. I wasn't sure which one I wanted to be my focus for the week.

I was hesitant to pick another house project because I want you all to feel good about choosing any goal for the week, not just house cleaning, but I knew that with the baby coming, getting the house in order is what will make me feel the best.

Here's a video explaining my Within One Week goal:



What about you? What would you like to get done Within One Week?

Here's How to Play Along:
Feel free to copy and paste the W.O.W. button at the top of this page for your own blog post.

1. Write a blog post describing your goal for the week. Feel free to copy and paste the W.O.W. button at the top of this page for your own blog post.

2. See the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post? Type your name and project/goal on the line that says, "Your name:________" (e.g. Becky (Baby's Room)

3. Where it says "Your URL:___________" you will type in the address to your blog post about this W.O.W. Carnival.

(If you are using Blogger you can link directly to your post by clicking on the title of your post after you publish. This will open a page that only has that post on it. Copy the address that shows up at the top of your screen and paste it into Mr. Linky. It's really easy and this way, people will go directly to your post and not have to search your blog for it. )

4. After you have put your name in Mr. Linky, visit the other players and cheer them on throughout the week.

5. Next week, come back here and look for the W.O.W. Update post and tell us how you did.

6. I think we need a Starbucks prize again this week. I'll choose a random participant next week and reward them with a $5 Starbucks card so they can get a mocha on me to celebrate all of their hard work.

7. You do not need to be a blogger to play along. Just tell us about your goal in the comments section. We'll cheer you on from here. : )

You'll feel so good next week when you reach your goal! : )

Love,

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Get Ready for W.O.W.

It's time for another W.O.W. Carnival! What would you love to see done within one week? (Read past W.O.W. posts here)

For the last W.O.W. carnival, we focused on a room in your house that is driving you bonkers. This time I want this to be about any goal that is important to you but is easy to procrastinate because it isn't a priority (or its easy to hide) : ) It could be a house organizing project, but it isn't limited to that. And your goal may just be to start the project this week, not necessarily redo a whole room. Baby steps are OK.

Is there an item on your "To Do" list that never gets crossed off? Blog about it and link back here so we can all cheer you on this week. I was amazed how much fun cleaning our bedroom was knowing that you all were cheering me on and would want to see after pictures. : )

I'll post the official Mr. Linky tonight or tomorrow morning, but I wanted to get your brainstorming juices flowing first. Keep it simple! I don't want any burned out W.O.W. players! : )

Here's some ideas to get your own ideas flowing:

• When you open this closet you need protective head gear because so much falls out.....
• You can't give friends a ride because you are too embarrassed of your messy car.
• When was the last time you worked on your baby's scrapbook? (It's OK that he's 13 now)
• This area of your house is "off limits"
• How much easier would dinner time be if you had a menu plan made for the week?
• Any fitness goals?
• Any spiritual goals?
• Do you have a home business and need the push to work on a business project?
• Anything you've been hoping to do with your kids but never get around to doing?
• A craft you've been dying to try....

The options are endless. When you've decided your goals, blog about it, come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky I will have up tonight or tomorrow morning and see what you are able to accomplish Within One Week.

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And the Winner Is.......

To wrap up our W.O.W. Carnival, it's time to announce the winner of a Starbucks drink on me. I wish I could afford to send you all one.

Using yesterday's Mr. Linky list and an online random integer generator.

Here is the result:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:2
Timestamp: 2008-05-23 13:47:05 UTC

So......Drink up, Alyce, and enjoy all of your hard work! I wish I could go out to coffee with you in person. : )

Alyce, if you could email me your mailing address, I'll send you your Starbucks Card. Your home office looks wonderful!

I am so impressed with all that each of us accomplished. I'm thinking about doing another W.O.W. Carnival next week. Start thinking of a project or goal you'd like to focus on for one week. Keep it simple so we don't get burned out! I'll announce the details next week.

Love,

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