On the Timer Today

I have a lot to do today. It's not that I've been lazy this week, I've just been lazier than I could afford to be. We'll blame that on "the screamer" (a.k.a. "Drama Girl", a.k.a. the baby) and also on being a bit sick at the beginning of the week. Be that as it may, I'm "on the timer" today. I set the timer for 15 minutes and see how much I can get done on a particular task, room clean, etc. This morning I started doing 15 minutes in the boys' room (couldn't see the floor) and after the initial 15 minutes, then a break to feed the screamer and put her down for a nap, I went back and finished most of the job (I even went through their clothes). Now they can do the rest of it after school. I'm to the point, now, that I need to empty the large laundry basket full of stuff that does not belong in their room. I hate this task. I always have. I hate this task so much that there is a large laundry basket in the hallway that is FULL of stuff that I need to take care of - and it's been there for more than a month. So.... I'm setting my timer for 15 minutes. I *WILL* empty the laundry basket from the boys' room in that time and then I will allow myself a break (maybe only 15 minutes) before tackling the next laundry basket.

And no, I haven't found the spare cell phone that has been missing for a couple of weeks. It's out of battery or else I'd just call it. I want to send it with the 12 year old when he goes to Oklahoma City tomorrow. Maybe it's in that large laundry basket. It's possible.

And yes, the laundry is going because I am bound and determined to have a folding festival tonight with the kids.

Best Thing EVER!!!

How many times have you been at a Church party, the school carnival or a BBQ in the park and the drips from the giant thermos of lemonade have made the floor horribly sticky? I tell you, I've been to a lot of them. It always makes me crazy. I know we've put towels down and spent hours mopping but there is a better way.....

Today while I was helping to serve chili at the American Red Cross blood drive, I saw this....I know, it's a two-liter bottle cut in half with a hole in the top. But, look at what it does...
You hang it from the spigot of a giant thermos (or a coffee urn, in this case) and it catches all the drips. Isn't it fabulous? I can't wait to use this sometime.... I don't know when, but I'm going to use it for sure! (They left the bottom so it was full - kind of cut it like an L shape, I guess, with a hole on the top.)

Medical Journal

Here's my tip - a Medical Journal for my kids. The idea originally came from my mom almost 11 years ago when JJ was born. She suggested I get a small notebook and write in it every time I take them to the doctor. I didn't take the advice until Tuffer was born. I wish I had used this notebook when JJ and K were babies. It has been so valuable. Since we move a lot, I have a detailed account of what past doctors have said, medication dosages, frequency of illnesses, etc. It was very handy when K had frequent bladder infections. I was able to tell them how many times in the previous six months they had occurred and what different types of treatments and tests we had done. It has been wonderful in keeping track of JJ's medication evaluations and also Tuffer's growth. It's just a simple 5x7" notebook with a pocket in front where I keep the shot records (also handy to bring along to doctor appointments when you move a lot).
I divided the notebook into four sections (positive thinking that we might have a fourth child someday) by putting a round sticker on the top right edge of a page. If you have more than four kids you might want to divide the books and have one for boys and one for girls. This has been the handiest thing ever. Every entry has the date, the reason for the appointment, weight and height of the child, diagnosis, tests performed, treatment given, and anything else I feel is important to write down.

Menu Planning

Direct from the outside of my fridge is this week's homemaking tip.... I know it is important to make menus but I really don't like to do it because I can never decide what to make. Soooo...Here's what I do. I have given each day of the week a category. This helps to focus my efforts and narrow my choices when I am making menus. Most of the recipes I have can fit into more than one category. Now it is easy for me to plan menus. Also, planning menus helps me save money at the grocery store because there is no willy-nilly purchasing. I have a plan and can get all the ingredients when I know in advance what I am going to make. (Here's a bonus tip - my mom told me about a lady she used to visit teach. This lady would always have the dinner made for her family by 10 a.m. Then, when it was late in the afternoon and she really didn't feel like cooking, all she had to do was pop it in the oven. I have tried this several times and I love it. I don't know why I don't do it more often.)

In case you are curious, my categories are:
Sunday - Crockpot
Monday - Pasta
Tuesday - Beef
Wednesday - Miscellaneous
Thursday - Mexican
Friday - Chicken
Saturday - Easy or leftovers

(I have a friend who does something similar but she uses side dishes - potatoes, rice, etc. - as her categories.)

Prepared Chicken

This tip is courtesy of my mom. For years, whenever she cooks chicken breasts in the crockpot she throws in a couple extra to put in the freezer for use in a casserole on another day. I have issues with touching meat, raw or cooked, so cooking more at once works for me (and my issues).


1. Take a bag of chicken (above).
2. Dump it into a crockpot (below). Cook on high for about six hours or low for about 10 hours. I often turn it on before I go to bed and let it cook all night.
3. Take the chicken out of the crockpot and let it cool. Divide it into ziploc bags and freeze. When you need cooked chicken for a casserole, just defrost a bag of chicken and throw it into the bowl!

You can also do this with hamburger. HERE

Browned Hamburger

I really don't like to cook. It takes a really long time and the clean up is a pain, too. In analyzing this a while back I decided that I prefer making recipes that are just "dump and go". That's not possible with recipes that call for browned hamburger or cooked chicken.... or is it????

Today's tip.... Browned hamburger - frozen and ready to go.

1. Buy a lot of hamburger meat. I usually buy at least the 5 lb package.

2. Brown the hamburger meat in a big skillet. I never add any onions or flavoring because it will be used in a variety of recipes. I can always add the flavors when I defrost it later.

3. Rinse the browned hamburger in hot water. I'm very serious - this is the trick so it doesn't go rancid. I put the browned hamburger in my colander and run hot water over it until the water draining out the bottom runs clean. Sometimes I need to stir it a couple of times to make sure I get everything rinsed.
4. Spoon the browned, rinsed hamburger meat into ziploc bags. For most of my dishes, 1 1/4 lbs of hamburger is about the right amount. The five pound package of hamburger meat yields 4 bags of browned hamburger. Now, when I am cooking dinner I don't have to worry about pulling the meat out the night before and putting it in the fridge or browning it in the afternoon so I can have dinner ready on time. I can just grab a bag of cooked meat, throw it in the microwave to defrost for two minutes and put it in my casserole.

I do something similar with chicken. HERE
Happy to post this tip on....

Tip Junkie
Tackle it Tuesdays
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Dryer Sheet Tip

Tip of the day - Cut your dryer sheets in half or even in thirds. They take care of static cling just as well as a whole dryer sheet but you get twice as many for the same price. (Some brands are easy to rip with your hands. Others require scissors.)