Changing Attitudes: Daily Pill Vitamin Reminders

This little convenience pill / vitamin organizer really does help me remember to take my vitamins and one medicine each day.  I used to think they were just for old people (at 56, I'm not one  yet!), but honestly I would completely forget to take anything if it weren't for this little item.

On Monday mornings I fill it for the week--2 vitamins (multi and calcium), one supplement, and one thyroid medicine.  Guess you could call it my "health box" rather than a "pill box" since only one is a med.

It is a VERY handy thing.  Don't say no to something just because your mother does / did it.  Sometimes those little habits are quite beneficial.

Organization : Your Kitchen Pantry

There have been times when I had no idea what was in my pantry because so much was scattered here and there.  I spent a couple of hours several weeks ago and re-organized everything so I can tell at a glance what  I have on hand to make meals.   

Here is my system from the ground up:

Floor:  Chips (in basket), large containers of protein mix, soups, George Foreman indoor grill, wine, some large glass items (i.e. spaghetti sauce), paper napkins (I buy one large package every 6-9 months since I use cloth napkins regularly).  If glass breaks on our tile floor, it EXPLODES, so don't want to take a chance of someone accidentally knocking glass off a shelf.

Shelf 1:  Canned items.  Blue container holds sprinkles and baking cups. More in our air conditioned laundry room (I keep one slat of a vent open in there so it doesn't get unbearably hot in the summer since our extra freezer is in there).

Shelf 2:  Cereals, pastas, crackers, tea, rice.  More cereals and crackers are stored in our laundry room.

Shelf 3:  Boxed goods, couscous, rice pilaf, stuffing mix, packaged seasonings (in box), dried legumes (box)

Shelf 4:  Lazy Susan holds extra Pam, vinegar, Parmesan cheese.  Bottled dressings, sauces, Crystal Light mixes, Stevia, peanut butter, baking items i.e. coconut oil, sugar, chocolate ships, cake/muffin/brownie mixes

Shelf 5 (top):    More baking items--flour, shortening, frostings, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar...

When we bought this house 14 years ago, I was thrilled to have this large pantry that stays hidden behind closed doors in the kitchen.  It is about 6 feet long x 1 foot wide and goes from the floor to the ceiling.  It isn't obtrusive in our kitchen below which we all like, but holds a vast amount of items.  I have hung special gifts from special friends on the narrow wall space next to the pantry.

 I had someone build me an open-shelf pantry when we lived in a condo before moving here.  They don't take up much room but sure hold a lot.  When I say I "shop my pantry" I really mean it.  :)  It allows us to have a storage area when stocking up on grocery items when they are marked down, getting the most for our $$.  I hope you have a pantry for extras but if not, devise some sort of storage for them that is attractive and useful for you.

We only  have three living at home right now but I still keep the pantry and freezer stocked.  We are able to give generously to the many food drives in our community, my husband's work, church, etc. when asked without it being a burden.  There's always plenty to help out a new or sick mom with a home-cooked meal or have friends and family over for dinner.

Proverbs  6:6-8 

Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 

Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 

Prepares her food in the summer,

And gathers her provision in the harvest. 

Christmas Decor: Taking It All Down

Probably most of you have already done this, but if not, or if you want to streamline it for next year...

I do it in stages.  The previous year as I am taking things down, I weed through and donate, give away or throw away things that we no longer use or want.  Last year I tossed about 3 large boxes worth of items.  This year I emptied one entire storage bin and donated a small bag of ornaments and decor.  The simpler the better... less real is more.

Step 1:   Have men in the household gather all the storage bins and put them in one room.  I have them do this the night before I start taking everything down. [15 minutes.  We did this at 9:00 p.m.]

Step 2:  Empty a large flat surface.  I cleared off our dining room table.  Then run, don't walk, around the house and just gather up everything setting out that is Christmas related and lay it on the table where you can see it.  [30 minutes.  I did this at 7:00 a.m.]

Step 3:   Open up all the bins and pull out boxes for ornaments, tissue paper for wrapping/packing, so that each bin is completely empty.   Be sure to have a trash can nearby and a basket for putting things in that you want to donate or give to someone else but not use next year. [20 minutes.  1:00 p.m.]

Step 4:  Empty Christmas dishes from kitchen cabinets and move to china cabinet.  Replace with everyday dishes.

Step 5:  Wash Christmas linens so they can go into the bin also.  We had used Christmas dishes and linens the night before so there were still some to be washed.

Step. 6:  Take all the ornaments off of the tree(s) and put in boxes.  [45 minutes.  1:30 p.m.]

Step 7:  Go to the dining room table and start grouping items together that go in the same box. Begin wrapping/packing to protect from breakage.  Linens together, snow globes together, breakables in the same box, stockings, nativity scenes, etc.  Wrap carefully and put in the boxes/bins.   Put the lid on each bin when it is full.  It gives you a sense of accomplishment to walk through and see closed bins.  :)   [1 hour]

Step 8:  We have 3 small trees and one large tree.  We leave the lights on the small ones as we store them and take them off the big tree.  Pack the lights, wrap the small trees and box them.  Wind the lights or layer them in sections so they do not get tangled.   My younger son has this job.  [30 minutes]

Step 9:   We have an artificial 8 foot tree.  My son also disassembles it (I helped) and boxes it up.   [30 minutes]

Step 10:  Stack all the boxes in one place to be moved into the garage when husband comes home.  [5 minutes]

Step 11:   Redecorate back to normal life.  [1 hour]

We started early but took long breaks and had this all done basically in one afternoon.  Bins were back on the shelves (my goal is to have nothing in our attic) and house redecorated for dinner.  It was so much easier having streamlined and weeded through everything last year.  There was less to put out but it still looked very Christmas-y and cozy.

So another year, closing the door on Christmas, but always anticipating the next one.

ORGANIZATION TIP: Christmas card photos

What do you do with all those Christmas card photos from cards received?

Some put them on their refrigerators, others just toss them. I trim them down and put in a special "friends" album, stacking them from year to year.

Digital photos are great but I still love looking back over the photos of friends from years gone by.

I selected this pretty red gingham because I love red and because most of the photos are from Christmas cards.  It holds 200  4" x 6" photos.

This is a fun project that I generally do sometime in January.  I re-read the Christmas letters and cards that were sent, often praying for the dear ones who have sent them to us.  Then I remove the photos from the cards or trim the photo cards down to fit the album. 

After removing the photos, I use the paper trimmer and save some of the fronts of cards to use  for gift tags next year.  They are especially nice to attach to gifts for unbelievers, i.e. neighbors, co-workers, etc. since most have a Christian blessing / message for this season rather than just Happy Holidays.  :)

I insert the photos into the album. Some families have 8+ photos in their slot since we have been friends for many years.   I purge them periodically so the clear covers do not tear from too many in one slot.

A special album for special friends...old and new.

Decluttering: One Small Project at a Time / Bathroom Shelf / Gift Wrap

We have two bathrooms in our home--one in our master bath with considerable storage underneath the sink; the other is used by our son(s) and any guests we may have.   It has a large closet for storing extra toiletries and a few other items as well.   I cringe when I look in the closet of the latter, especially  the bottom "shelf" which is the floor.  I had organized the three other shelves at the beginning of the summer and can find whatever   I am looking for easily on those.

The floor was just a huge mess of gift wrap, boxes, tissue and ribbons.  I was finding myself buying a new bag instead of searching through this clutter for a suitable bag, tissue or ribbon. What a waste of $$.

No kidding, this little job that I had put off for MONTHS only took me about 30 minutes.

Here are the "before" photos...

After I completely emptied the area and wiped it down...

I dumped everything on our family room floor and sat there while the football game was on on Saturday afternoon.  I threw away only a small amount of what was in the pile and put about 7 items in a donation box.  Everything else was completely clean and useable.

I got a colorful red bin from the garage and a large  shopping bag and started organizing.

• Ribbons in the Rubbermaid box
• More ribbons, bag stuffings, cellophane and bows in the large shopping bag
• Gift bags and colored tissue in the red bin
• Large boxes stored flat against the red bin and the wall

 I even labeled the items so that when someone wants  to wrap a gift for me they can easily find what they are looking for.  :)

Next time I see something like this I won't put it off for so long.  

Ah... continually organizing the house, one area at a time..  

Organizing Synching Your Home Calendar

This is a similar repost from last year but since I sat down and just organized my new wall calendar, here you go...

ORGANIZING YOUR DAYS

One of my strengths is organization.  Anyone who knows me could probably tell you that.   I am constantly working in our family to help them learn organization since I know it helps so much in work and school.  A calendar is one small part of this.  Learning to schedule events and manage your time well is a life-long asset.  It also gives a good impression to others that you are a responsible person.   I'm not opposed to spontaneity but scheduling is certainly my preference.  

I used to have pretty calendars hanging in my kitchen.  You know the kind I mean--half of the calendar is a pretty scene or photograph and half has the blocks for the the days of the month.  Several years ago, even with only four people in our family, I switched to a plain, no frills, BIG block calendar from At-A-Glance to keep up with our family activities.  This calendar is large, measuring about 15" x 22" with blocks that are 2" x 3".   I keep everything posted here also on  the calendar on our office computer as well (which is synched to my iPod Touch). It is on the opposite side of the house.    The only place I could find this calendar, #PM328, is at Office Max or Staples for about $10.00 but I see that Amazon also sells them for the same price. [This year they were $16.99, but I love this calendar so I paid that much for it.]   I buy one each December and start getting ready for the new year.

This is my new 2011 calendar.  At-A-Glance PM3-28 from Staples.  January is already looking fairly busy.  

The blocks on this calendar are lined which is great for me since I have a hard time writing in a straight line.  It's perfect  and fits in the exact spot where I have always hung a vertical wall calendar.    The top part of the calendar is for one month; the lower part has the entire year so you can look ahead without flipping the page.  I also can tape appointment cards, invitations, date sensitive coupons, etc.  to the lower part.

Attached to the calendar are five (5)  Sharpie pens-- red, black, green and blue plus one wide black one, to distinguish events for each family member.

You'll also notice that I have lots of colored Post-It flags  all over the calendar. These are for regularly recurring activities and are shifted from one week to the next as needed. This saves a lot of unnecessary writing.  I love adding color to simple tasks when I can such as filing and organizing and colored post-its, pens and stickers make it fun.  My husband often gets freebies from vendors who visit his company and I get so excited to receive new supplies.  I know, simple minds, simple things...  

A good-sized calendar placed in a central location is so helpful to stay on top of the events in our family.  Everyone who lives in our home knows to "write it on the calendar" if they have something coming up so we know where they need to be.  It aids me with my meal planning and carpooling  and helps avoid needless confusion which can happen when activities conflict with each other.  These days everyone has computers and handheld data devices to keep their own activities, but living in a family we like to know what each other is doing.   If you don't already have one, try this.  If you do have one, opt for the one with the biggest blocks.  :)

I also keep a calendar on our home office computer which is sync-ed to my iPod Touch.  As one calendar has changes, I make sure the others are updated right away so there are no date conflicts.  Sync-ing them together really was handy when I got ready to sit down on the floor and write in events that were coming up the other night.  I just scrolled through my iPod Touch and found everything I needed--school events, classes, dentist appointments, birthdays...  A new event came up this morning for next week and after writing in on the calendar I typed it on the computer and then plugged a cable into it to connect to my Touch. [Sounds complicated but it took about 30 seconds.]   Everything matches again.  Technology is amazing if you know how to use it.  :)

The Family Calendar Planner Organizer for Busy Moms / At A Glance

From my windowsill:

Not sure who wrote this Chinese proverb, but truth is truth no matter who says it.  This Old Testament passage uses a similar metaphor of gold being refined.  You may recognize the words from Handel's Messiah.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.   But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. 

=========================================================

ORGANIZING YOUR DAYS

One of my strengths is organization.  Anyone who knows me could probably tell you that.   I am constantly working in our family to help them learn organization since I know it helps so much in work and school.  A calendar is one small part of this.  Learning to schedule events and manage your time well is a life-long asset.  It also gives a good impression to others that you are a responsible person.   I'm not opposed to spontaneity but scheduling is certainly my preference.  

I used to have pretty calendars hanging in my kitchen.  You know the kind I mean--half of the calendar is a pretty scene or photograph and half has the blocks for the the days of the month.  Several years ago, even with only four people in our family, I switched to a plain, no frills, BIG block calendar from At-A-Glance to keep up with our family activities.  This calendar is large, measuring about 15" x 22" with blocks that are 2" x 3".   I keep everything posted here also on  the calendar on our office computer as well (which is synched to my iPod Touch). It is on the opposite side of the house.    The only place I could find this calendar, #PM328, is at Office Max for about $10.00 but I see that Amazon also sells them for the same price.  I buy one each December and start getting ready for the new year.

The blocks on this calendar are lined which is great for me sinceI have a hard time writing in a straight line.  It's perfect for me and fits in the exact spot where I have always hung a vertical wall calendar.    The top part of the calendar is for one month; the lower part has the entire year so you can look ahead without flipping the page.  I also can tape appointment cards, invitations, date sensitive coupons, etc.  to the lower part.

Attached to the calendar are five (5)  Sharpie pens-- red, black, green and blue plus one wide black one, to distinguish events for each family member.

You'll also notice that I have lots of colored Post-It flags and little sticker stars all over the calendar. These are for regularly recurring activities and are shifted from one week to the next as needed. This saves a lot of unnecessary writing.  I love adding color to simple tasks when I can such as filing and organizing and colored post-its, pens and stickers make it fun.  My husband often gets freebies from vendors who visit his company and I get so excited to receive new supplies.  I know, simple minds, simple things...  Oh, in case you're wondering what the stars are for--they keep me motivated to exercise every day.  I put one at the top of the block if I walk or go to the YMCA; one at the bottom means my husband does the same.   As you can see, I walked this morning.  Check.  :)  

A good-sized calendar placed in a central location is so helpful to stay on top of the events in our family.  Everyone who lives in our home knows to "write it on the calendar" if they have something coming up so we know where they need to be.  It aids me with my meal planning and carpooling  and helps avoid needless confusion which can happen when activities conflict with each other.  These days everyone has computers and handheld data devices to keep their own activities, but living in a family we like to know what each other is doing.   If you don't already have one, try this.  If you do have one, opt for the one with the big blocks.  :)

Spring Cleaning One Little Step at a Time / Your Refrigerator, Part 3 / Making Soup

From my windowsill:

Philippians 4:11-13 

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

===================================================

After I organized my refrigerator, including the produce drawer,  

I wanted to use up some of the leftover fresh vegetables that were not packaged.  We all sometimes put one or two of a vegetable or fruit in the bin and then forget about it.  Here are the fresh ingredients I pulled out to make vegetable soup--1/2 box of mushrooms, 2 potatoes, 2 heads of garlic, 3 stalks of celery, 3/4 green pepper, 3/4 bag of baby carrots and 1/2 onion.   I don't usually worry about the combinations of vegetables. If it's in our refrigerator, I know everyone likes it.  :)

My secret ingredient to the best vegetable or chicken soup is Knorr's Vegetable Soup Recipe Mix.  One small bag is about $2.00 but I usually stock up when it's on sale at the grocery store.   The combinations of seasonings in this make all my soups  taste wonderful!

At about 10:30 a.m. I chopped up all the vegetables plus about 1/4 bag of leftover steak fajita strips and put it all in a large stew pot.

I then  added one can of corn and one can of diced tomatoes.  

The soup prep process only took about 20 minutes and then I returned to cleaning out the refrigerator.  I added enough water to just cover everything and heated the soup to a boil, then simmered for about 1 1/2 hours.  

By noon we had delicious homemade soup for lunch.   My frig cleaning project (the right side of the frig) was done and lunch was ready!  The soup plus one slice of homemade bread with the tiny bit of leftover egg salad I also found in the frig was lunch that day.

Plus a bonus!  I found 1/2 a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough in the frig as well.   These only take 12 minutes or so to bake so while I was putting the food on our plates, I put these in the oven.  Lots of smiles at my house!

Sometimes pausing in the middle of  a project actually gives you MORE time in the long run.  I didn't need to figure out what to have for lunch and I made enough for at least 2 more days of soup as a side item AND cookies.  The refrigerator got clean (see previous posts) and the family was well fed and loved with something homemade.

Proverbs 31:27

She looks well to the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.