Works for Me Wednesday...

So it is my first WFMW in about a year and I will start off with a very easy project. Recently I have renewed my love with all things black and white...black and white toile, polka dots, Fleur de leis, and etc.

So when I found this sweet little number at Hobby Lobby I fell in love and it was 50% off too...I knew we were meant to be and it found its way into my purchases!

Well this lovely little piece was to reside above my kitchen sink...it was very bare and needed the love that only a black and cream piece could offer, but alas it hung way too low!


Well I don't like putting holes into the tile back splash and if the previous owners hadn't left me their hole I wouldn't have added one...that loveliness would have been stuck with sticky tack!

But alas they did leave their mark on the wall and I was going to use it:


Well obviously the hole in the wall and the picture did not have a mutual love so I had to intervene.

First I found some jewelry wire, needle nose pliers, hammer and nails...I'm telling you this relationship was going to work! First I set off to hammer a nail into the frame of my lovely canvas:


Next I found some jewelry wire to bend around the nail!


Now let me take a moment to say that it is better to measure the amount of wire that you need before attaching it to the frame because, say you nail one end securely (or so you think) into the frame and then stretch the wire out across the frame and cut the desired length it may act as a very bad sling shot and shoot the piece of wire across the room. Then you will have to stand up and walk across the room to retrieve the weapon wire while your husband may look at you like you tried to impale him...all quite innocently! So that being said, cut the desired length of wire before attaching to the frame and nail it in SECURELY!

You will end up with this:


Now all that is left is to show the lovely canvas and mark on the wall how they will love each other!



So that is my very simple hanging job and for those of you totally wagging your finger about the dirty dishes that I may or may not have cropped out of the picture...that is only for me to know!

Just a thought....

so I'm thinking that most people who read here, spend (obviously) at least a little time on the computer. Well, I love my computer time too! I always have my same routine.

1. check webmail
2. check yahoogroups (I moderate our homeschool groups page)
3. check banking accounts
4. check bloglines and facebook - if time permits
Done.

This takes me about 3o minutes or so depending on how many emails I need to answer. However, I like to do this first thing in the morning; however, sometimes finding 30 minutes first thing in the morning while my children are still sleeping is very hard. I need that early morning quiet time to pry my eyes open and waddle to the bathroom and hopefully still have time for some decent Bible study time. So, as you see most of the time computer time falls after breakfast and the kids are awake.

I like my kids with me or at least in earshot 95% of the time. Why, well that is another post; but I do like them near. So how do I solve computer time and keep them close? EASY! No, they don't sit bored and watch the screen or the tube. They sit and listen to an Adventure in Odyssey while I do my computer work. They are fun programs produced by Focus on the Family and each day they post a new Odyssey to listen to over the net. My kids love this program and I love that they are occupied while I'm getting my work done. Just a little tip from me to you!

For more works for me Wednesday ideas go to Rock's in my Dryer!

Overcoming healthier eating...

I hate to admit that at some point in my motherhood I have been known to frequent McDonald's or Chick Fil A many times - in.a.row. as in several.days.in.a.row! I would go through periodic spurts of fixing a healthy meal and then several nights of take out. I think it was because my grocery planning was way to complex. I would plan out major food plans for the week and then I would never stick to them! It was too complex of dinner plans and my grocery bill was over the top each week!

About a year ago I started having some liver problems, more than likely due to too much high fat consumption! I decided I was too young for this to be my life so a change was in order and change we did.

We stopped boxed cereal, we upped our fruits and veggies to 5 a day, sometimes more, we added a veggie meal to our weekly dinners and we dropped our food budget to $50.00 a week for 6 people! How did this all occur?

1. I always do my food shopping on the same day of every week. Every Monday my kids know that it is the grocery store day and then to the library, because I have a set day I'm not as likely to schedule company or teeth cleanings on my grocery day.

2. The bulk of my food purchase is in the produce aisle. I buy tons of fruits and veggies and I use them. Each morning for breakfast I slice 3 different fruits and put them on a plate for the kids to eat with their oatmeal, waffles, or whatever we are having. There are usually 5 of us for breakfast b/c my hubby is already gone to work for the day. So a good example for us would be a sliced apple, a sliced banana, and 6 oz of blueberries on the plate for us all to munch from. It gives my kids a couple of different options and we are eating more fruit *however, I do tell them they have to have atleast one slice of each!

3. I make sure that I use up every vegetable and fruit that I bought in that week! Many times on Saturday or Sunday I will realize I have a couple of sweet potatoes, half a container of mushrooms, a couple of sugar snap peas and an eggplant to use up before my self imposed weeks deadline. So I slice up all of those leftovers and put them on my jelly roll pan, sprinkle them with olive oil and a little Lowry's and put them in the oven at 350 for an hour. Whatever the vegetables they are always delicious roasted together. I also set up a buffet of all the leftover fruit and snacks in the kitchen so they are eaten up - this makes Sunday dinner lighter as we have been snacking on and off during the day.

4. I do not make a crazy food menu to buy from anymore. Each week I go to the store I know I will not buy any meat that is over $2.00 a lb. (unless it is fish and then I won't buy over $3.50/lb) so I only buy the meat that is on sale for that week. Then I cook from my freezer and keep my pantry stocked - I rarely have to run out at the last minute to buy an ingredient for dinner (but it does happen on occasion!)

5. I buy healthy snacks to keep on hand. Banana chips, dried cranberries, yogurt chips, and granola are typically available at any given moment for snacking.

These are just some of the changes that I believe have created an easier environment for me to cook in. They are small changes for the better. I'm still learning, but if you are like I was - sometimes it is just nice to know where to start! That works for me visit Rocks in My Dryer for more tips!

Learning Hymns...

I have a regular routine for putting my little ones to bed. We sing a song, say a prayer, and read a chapter of a book together. We do it in that order so that my oldest can be part of our song and prayer and then be dismissed to read on her own if she has already read the book we are reading together. (Many times she will start a read aloud with us and get so enthralled she reads ahead and finishes before us.)

My WFMW part of the post is about the songs we sing. When all of my kids were preschool aged then we stuck with Zacchaeus, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and etc. Well now that my kids run the age gauntlet we still sing one of the little songs but then we follow it up with a song from the hymnal. We love doing this because it teaches our kids the traditional hymns and they know them by heart. A few years ago our congregation were replacing our green hymnals with the new red ones and we were able to get a few of the old green ones to bring home. So each night the Kid of the Day chooses the hymn to sing and Daddy leads us in it. Some of our favorites are Low in the Grave He Lay, Ten Thousand Angels, I'll Fly Away, and Our God He is Alive. Many nights we can't stop at just one and we sing several. This is one of the highlights of my day and I love the fact that my kids are tucking these songs away. That works for us!

Healthy Chips

When you feel like a chip, but you know you want something more healthy - what do you do?

Some foods just lend themselves to a crunchy sidekick - sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs...etc. I love me a really good sandwich but to finish it off I want a nice pile of chips - but my waist and my liver are opposed to the idea - bummer! So I went on a chip alternative search!

Here is what I came up with...

honey roasted almonds
pistachios
banana chips

and most recently zucchini chips (recipe at end of post) - thanks Aimee!

I put a little on the side next to our chip loving meal and it does the trick every time! Do you have any chip alternatives? My waist and liver would forever be grateful!


Zucchini Chips

Slice zucchini in thin slices. Dip slices in milk next dredge in a mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Place on greased cookie sheet for 25 minutes at 400 degrees! YUMMY!

Mom, I'm BORED...

Sometimes I will hear this verse eek from one of my little ducklings mouths, but not often because one utterance of this is likely to have chores added to their list! However, because I can't stand to be bored I really do understand this phrase and how excruciating it is to be stuck with nothing to do, so we have a plan.

We use a home management binder in our home. It is just a 3 ring binder which basically houses all pertinent information in my life (so it is my brain). Within this wonderful lifesaver is a kids section. One page within this section is entitled,

"If you are bored..."!

On this page I have listed different suggestions as well as a list of every game in our game closet. My list looks like this...

IF YOU ARE BORED

1. Go outside and find a bug to look up in the bug encyclopedia & examine under the Eyeclops

2. Bake a cake, if kitchen is not occupied

3. Draw a picture and write a note to grandma

4. Have a photo shoot with the kids (I can always use more pictures)*

5. Dry some flowers

6. Make a home video*

7. Paint a picture

8. Play a game

(Games are listed here!)

*We gave the kids access to our old digi camera and video camera, this was 2 years ago and they have been amazingly careful with them!

This is what works for me. Check back at Shannon's to see other suggestions to beat the summer doldrums!

Hubby's Lunch...

I like to send my hubby's lunch to work with him everyday. It is good for our budget, good for his waistline, and good for my leftover quota! However, it is not good on my Tupperware! Sometimes he forgets to bring it home and sometimes when it does make it home I don't want it anymore and sometimes - I don't know where it came from to begin with! Sound familiar?



I still like making his lunch and he prefers to take it, so what to do, what to do????



I decided to do as the restaurants do, take out containers!



I can buy these for around $25.00 for 500 containers. That lasts us about 2 years, considering some days he uses brown bags. That is what works for us and my Tupperware, check Rocks in My Dryer for more great WFMW tips!

Note: Hubby doesn't reheat in these as they don't do well in the microwave, so he puts it on a separate plate. Also I would love to find these in an affordable paper option as I'm not a big fan of Styrofoam - any suggestions?

What Doesn't Work For Me...

This week is a themed Works for me Wednesday or in the case of this theme, What DOESN'T work for me. What doesn't work for me is couponing.

While I'm a big advocate of finding deals at CVS for our personal hygiene items and health items. I'm not a big fan of cutting coupons at the grocery store. Most of the things they have on sale that I could match a coupon to are not things that I want to serve my family. For instance boxed cereal - yeah, we can get it for under a dollar a box, but it is horrible for you and will end up costing you in the long run. So while I avoid the coupons at the local grocery store, I still enjoy saving the budget.

I typically frequent a local farmers market once a week to stock up on veggies and fruit (sometimes a flower bouquet too!) I frequent Henry's and Trader Joe's for our meat, eggs, and milk and they have better prices that the local grocer. While we aren't yet eating all grass fed meat (our budget isn't there right now - and if food does really skyrocket - we may not be there for a long while!) I do make sure to only buy milk without the added hormones.

So my overall advice is to try to save money on fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy and leave the boxed stuff on the shelf!

The Greatest Hits WFMW

This weeks WFMW is a rerun of our greatest hits. This is the post that comes up with the most google searches!

Works for me Wednesday

So you want to have a tea party and you need a dish to hold the delicious fruit salad but your dish is just plain and it needs to be snazzy and it has a chip in it too and is just not worthy of this table. So you think and think and you come up with a phenomenal idea!



Take that silly old bowl and HOT GLUE ribbon to the top!

It works out wonderfully and when you are done the glue comes right off!

Kid of the Day

I don't know if your kids ever do this, but mine find ways to argue about things! I mean they INVENT things to squabble over, things that have not one little ounce of worth outside of their current tantrum. Things like he stepped on my little pinkie toe with his pinkie toe or he breathed in my space - "I tell you that was MY air he breathed in!" (OK, maybe it is not THAT bad but sometimes it feels like it!) Anyway, one system that we came up with to curb a little of that sibling rioting is Kid of the Day (KOTD)!

I have 4 kids so the oldest 3 kids get two days a week and the 2 yo gets Wednesdays (until she is old enough to scream mutiny!) The KOTD has a lot of privileges, they get to pick the TV show they watch that day (they are only allowed 30 minutes of TV and 30 minutes of computer - but that is for a post entitled The MEAN MOM!) and they are able to pick the Odyssey's that they listen to before bed. They also get to tag along with me or Dad if we are running errands or have somewhere to go. This cuts down on a lot of those '"it's my turn/she picked last time" kinds of disagreements. However, KOTD also has responsibilities, they are my go to man for the day. The child that I call when something little needs to be done or helped with.

It has also helped me to implement kitchen time. KOTD is automatically my helper in the kitchen for the day. I had been trying to figure out a way to get them in the kitchen with me one at a time to be able to teach them braising, burning, sauteing, folding, timing and other culinary arts so that when they are older they know their way around the kitchen. Using the KOTD system I always know who my helper will be and they all get a fair amount of time learning in the kitchen.

Anyway, that is my wordy explanation of KOTD. My kids love it when it is their day and they get to rule the universe choices! That works for us!

3 really great (for me) random tips!

Hello all, this week I have 3 small random tips that really work for me. I could have used them for the next 3 works for me Wednesday, but since they are small I thought I would just pass them all along, cause I try to be nice like that! :)!

Ok, random tips:

#1 - Boys Cowlicks! My son has the worst cowlick on the back of his head. Each and every morning he resembles a rooster more than my handsome boy! I tried everything to coax it down, gel and water - hair wax - hairspray, nothing worked he would just end up looking like Alfalfa from Our Gang! Until one magical day I accidentally grabbed the girls leave in conditioner instead of the water bottle. WOW! It worked wonders, it relaxed his hair enough for it to lay down perfectly! Yippee for me!

#2 - Power cords! In today's day and age of cordless electronics, my electronics and I were constantly being separated - but never again because now as soon as one of those pesky power cords leaves its safe haven of packaging I label it with a white label and now I always know what they go to!

#3 - Tight jar lids! I don't have a lot of strength in my hands so many times jar lids are hard for me to take off, but not anymore because now when I need to open a tight jar lid I slip on my rubber gloves first. That way the jar doesn't just turn in my hand and I can get a great grip on the lid.

So those are my wonderfully random tips for this works for me Wednesday. Head back over to Shannon's for more great tips and send her good wishes and prayers for her upcoming trip to Africa!

Child Friendly Exercise

So with the new year here and resolutions firmly in place (or already tossed in the recycle bin awaiting 2009) I have managed to really start exercising! Now my home is not exercise friendly there are too many TV's and the Internet and books and books and books to keep me from it! Now, I do scale a mountain a couple of times a week but dealing with Mt. Laundry has never done anything for my abs. But here is what has helped.

If you are familiar with the gym Curves it is a neat place for women to work out. They have a circuit of equipment that you go around twice with 2 minutes at each station for a total of one 30 minute workout. I liked the concept it was easy and I didn't have to think about it too hard! Well for me there was one hangup - childcare! My kids are always with me and this particular gym (or at least the one in my neck of the woods) doesn't have any child care so that means that this was out for me, but I loved the concept.

So since the children couldn't come to the gym I brought the gym to the children. I have created my own circuit workout with a total of 5 stations 3 minutes each to be visited twice. So we have a hula hoop station, jump rope station, hand weight station, stairs station, and a leg weight station. I have my iPod programmed with 5 three minute songs that repeats once for a 30 minute workout. The kids totally love it and I'm sweating and getting my heart rate up and a fun time is had by all.

Seriously hula hoop is hard stuff! I totally can not understand why at 9 I was a pro and at 30-something I can't keep it around my waist! It is a fun aerobic exercise and the kids are laughing so hard it is too funny! The jump rope is a fun time too and a skill that I'm hoping my kids will become better at with all of this practice.

Now for my disclaimer - my kids are little so I don't allow them to lift the weights they have a skip-it in the hands weight station and a stretching routine at the leg weight station. It really works for us and we have enjoyed it. In about a month I will add different things into the routine just to change it up a bit and on Friday's we forego our stations for a 2 mile walk to the local park. Anyway, that works for me.

Homeschooling routines

Well this weeks Works for me Wednesday is backwards again. So this means that I can ask you all a question instead of searching my soul for a great tip to give.

Anyway, my question this week is for all of the homeschool moms out there! This year we have added our third student to the mix, so I have a 4th grader, 2nd grader, and a Kindergartner that need to be taught. I also have a 2 year old running around. I'm having a problem organizing their schedule so they don't need me constantly at the same time, (OK, I can hear the chuckles now and the "sweetie, that IS homeschooling!") but in all seriousness do you have an interruption rule at your house?

If say you are working on reading with your Kindergartner and your second grader MUST have the answer to the 3rd problem on the second row of his math book or the world may just stop, what do you do?

My answer was to have all 3 students sit down for math at the same time, but going from long division to basic subtraction to number sense to basic 2 year old needs was leaving me with the onset of a migraine - EVERY DAY.

I love homeschooling, it is just the perfect way of life for my family but please let me know how you handle the interruptions? Also let me know some of your favorite things to entertain the toddlers during the school hour - what do you keep on hand? Inquiring minds NEED to know! Thanks so much!

PS - Do you answer the phone during school time?

Thanks and after you save my brain go and spread your goodwill to all those deserving folks back at Rocks in my Dryer!

Hair Bow Holder

I so wanted to post pictures for this idea and maybe next week I will just repeat with pictures, but this works for me. I have 3 daughters and a whole SEA of hair accessories. Bows that span the color of the rainbow, hairbands, and hair ties, ohhh the hair ties, they are everywhere (some call them ponytail holders)! Anyway, way back when my oldest dd was little I decided that I needed a system for this stuff and I found one!

I bought a TACKLE BOX! They have all of those nice little divided slots so my dd and I set to filling them ROYGBIV style (I think officially they have dropped the V from Mr. ROY G BIV, but ROY G BI doesn't sound right!) It is so neat to open it up every morning and go to the exact location of my color needed. So that takes care of the hair ties, tiny barrettes, and other girlie paraphernalia! (My tackle box has a top part that opens to hold all of the other poufy things that we somehow accumulate, but hardly ever wear!)

So now onto the hair bows. I love hair bows, all of my daughters are typically sporting one on most days and I just can't stand to get them all messed up, b/c the perfect bow is hard to find, unless you know someone, giggle. Anyway, I ended up sewing a D ring onto a 3/4 inch of ribbon and hanging it on an over-the-door bathrobe holder on the back of DD door, (if that doesn't make any sense - that is why I really wanted to use photos, but Blogger isn't letting me!) It has worked out perfectly for the last 9 years! I change the ribbon periodically but everything else holds up.

Hope that this makes sense to you because it really works for me!

Fast Fixin's

This is once again a themed week for Works for Me Wednesday. Shannon describes it as:

"Welcome to WFMWTWDIFE! (That's "Works-For-Me Wednesday: the What Do I Fix? Edition", for those of you who are unable to speak in acronyms.)

We've all had days like this (if you haven't, then really, I don't want to hear about it): The day has been crazy, kids have too much homework, you have a sinus headache, laundry is piled high, you've been too busy to get to the store, 5:15 rolls around, and your in-home cook hasn't shown up yet. "

So what do we fix for dinner on these days? Rice bowls are a favorite around here, but burritos come a close second on these days. Huevos con Chorizo is another favorite when the pickings are slim and we are all hungry and I have time to run 3 miles that week, but boy is it good! (I use about 6 eggs cooked with half a chorizo and serve with beans in a tortilla topped with cheese - delicious!) When we are really running behind and we don't have a lot of time then scrambled egg sandwiches are a favorite alternative. (I know Shannon requested no sandwiches, but that is our reality!) To me that always hits the spot, fluffy scrambled eggs on a toasted piece of bread spread with a thin layer of mayo - yummy!

Another fast and favorite dish is California Pitas. Grilled chicken breast stuffed in a pita with avocados, lettuce and tomato drizzled lightly with raspberry vinaigrette, yummy! My husband's aunt just clued me in to another fast recipe for those nights. It doesn't have a name, but it is super delicious. You take one pound of ground hamburger and to it you add one potato diced, throw it in a skillet and add a handful of diced onions and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and s & p. Cover and cook. When it is cooked well remove the cover and let some of the liquid cook off, stuff the mixture into a pita and top with lettuce and sour cream. (OK so pitas are basically sandwiches, but seriously, they are my favorite food, shhhh don't tell!)

Anyway, these are our fast fixin's. Head back over to Shannon's for more quick dinner tips!

Boiling Clothes?

Do you boil your clothes? Silly me, I know how ridiculous that sounds, you are probably thinking, "Are you crazy, I slap them into the front loader, sprinkle a little soap and walk away!" Well, normally I do too, but occasionally that doesn't work for me!

Around here socks can get REALLY dirty, sometimes dish towels smell sour even after washing and drying, and hubby's pillowcase can still look dingy after washing with bleach! For these hard to clean items, I boil them...really!

I put whatever I'm wanting to sanitize into a huge pot, saved only for this purpose - just wanted to clarify so that I didn't scare our recent dinner guests, and fill with water. When the water reaches a boil I add a cup of OxyClean and the items I'm washing and turn the heat down to medium. I put a top on it and let it return to a boil then I turn the heat down to low and let it go for an hour or two. After the boiling I then toss the clothing into my machine as usual! This typically cleans these items REALLY well and I'm quite pleased with the results. Yes, you will need to stir the clothes around and keep poking them back into the water, and yes the water will be BLECK! but your clothes will be CLEAN. The first time I did this I wanted to rush right out and build a fire, put a black cauldron on top and boil all of my clothes, but I didn't! Oh and just so you know, no, your house won't smell like Christmas doing this, but by golly, your clothes will be SOOO clean!

I have never had a problem with this but I always keep a close eye on whatever I'm boiling because I would hate to tell hubby, "Oh I forgot about the pillowcase I was boiling and burned down the house." That wouldn't be too great of me. Try it, but don't blame me if the house burns down, I told ya to keep an eye on it! =)!

7 yo DS's Christmas present

Ok guys, time for another wonderful round of Help for Me Wednesday!!! I get to ask a question and all of you so valuable readers get to give me your absolutely wonderful answers that I will treasure and wonder how I ever added 2+2 without you! So for my question: I have been making the ever so important Christmas list and checking it twice and I can't for the life of me think of what to get for dear 7 year old son. I would like for it to be something neat and interesting, but I really don't like to buy things that are marketed for some superhero. He really likes history and science and all things that 7 year old boys like. I would like to stay at $50 or under. Thanks for helping me out!

Bedtime Routines

This weeks works for me Wednesday is about bedtime routines. I have several things that I like to do before putting my kids to bed.

1. I like for hubby to do a small devo


2. I like to sing and pray with the kids (great time to memorize favorite hymns)


3. I like to read to or have them read before bed

Well we have 4 kids all developmentally in different places with different needs and trying to get the bedtime routine done was getting dicey and LONG. Hubby was getting tired of waiting around for different kids to be ready for devo and it was cutting into our time together with each other. So we came up with a plan!

As I start getting 2 year old ready for bed I set a timer for 15 minutes and I tell my crew "bedtime" and they start their routine. They need to get dressed for bed, pick out clothes for next day, brush teeth, go to the bathroom and get the proverbial glass of water before the timer goes off. They don't have to ask me what to do because of our charts.

When timer goes off we meet for devo. (if anyone was a dawdler they have beads deducted) Daddy does a 10 minute devo and then we pray, sing, and give kisses and hugs. Next Daddy takes the older 2 and reads a chapter to them of their current book (right now they are reading through the Narnia series). I take the little 2 and read to them and tuck them in and give kisses. When Daddy is finished with his book he tucks 7 year old in and kisses 9 yo and sets her timer for her 30 minute reading time befor bed. Done!

The divide and conquer method has enabled us to tuck everyone in lovingly with sweet thought and still enables us to have a devo together. Over the years I'm sure this will change but for now it is working for us.

DIY Gift Bags

So this weeks work for me Wednesday was born out of an attempt to be frugal! Do you remember these? Well, like everything else, they REALLY needed to be mailed; however, I didn't know what to mail it in! I hadn't wrapped them yet and I didn't want to put them in a traditional gift bag b/c it would just end up squished by the time it got to its destination. I also didn't want to go out and spend money on wrap, does that bug anybody else?

SO I decided to get creative.
I had this laying around and I had supplies to make this:

So with 2 side seams, a pair of pinking shears and a piece of leftover ribbon I now had this:



A closer image.

Now, why in the world would I ever spend money on a gift bag again? Did I mention how much I HATED doing that!! So that works for me!