Cleaning Lists - Saturday and Sunday

You will probably laugh at my lists, but doing it this way allows me to stay focused on what is important. Obviously some of the daily tasks disappear too, but I will just focus on my "assigned" Saturday and Sunday tasks!

Today is Saturday
1. Grocery Shopping and Errand Running
(if not done during the week, or if I will not be able to go on Tuesday, like this week when we will have company))
2. Gardening
3. Catch up activities
4. Family Play Time!
5. Prepare for Sunday


Today is Sunday
1. Church
2. Family Play Time
3. Rest

On Sunday I try to have a crock pot meal or something I can just microwave for lunch as we get home hungry, I try to have the preparation done on Friday. I try to always have a supper from the freezer so it is usually thaw, put in oven, serve with rice from the rice cooker and veggies.

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day
Friday is Project Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Saving on Cheese

I read a great article on saving money on fancy blended cheese by grating your own, and I had to smile to myself because I had just realized that I really do save money by buying my cheddar cheese shredded already! I guess it just depends on where you live and which cheese you are buying, but here is what I found.

The BEST price on cheese I can find in my area is 3 Albertson's brand 8 oz blocks for $4, or $2.67 for a pound.

At Costco I buy a 5 pound bag of Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded, for $5.99, or $1.20 a pound, less than half the price!

So the frugal lesson is that we have to be careful to compare apples to apples when receiving tips on line and remember that just because it saves money in some ares of the country does not mean it will save in your area too, so be sure to check it out and be sure that it really does save you money in your area of the country!

(But I will be using the great shredding tip to make fancy blended cheese as I cannot find a good price on that!)

Updated: Martha A. you were right, this must have been a sale because the price is now back up to $10.99, or $2.20 a pound according to my friend who went this week. Still a savings, but not as much. It makes me wish I had picked up 2 at that price. Needless to say I just started checking the cheese prices again very carefully, and will have to keep my eyes open for a bit longer to make sure I know what the usual price is! (I have noticed that Costco will drop prices to clear out some older stock, but I keep my cheese frozen, so it is not that big a deal for us.)

Cleaning List - Friday

Well, here is where I make a big confession, I cannot always keep my schedule perfectly, so I keep today a bit on the light side so that I can get some projects done and also be ready for the weekend!

Today two friends are coming over and we are having project Friday - it will be about an hour to an hour and a half and we will all leave with pie dough and cookies dough in cookie size drops to freeze and use whenever we need! It is different every week, and we don't meet every week either.


Today is Project Day
1. Sewing and Mending
2. Projects that need to be done
3. Prepare gifts/parcels for mail
4. Extra Baking
5. Laundry:
a. Whites
b. Colors
c. Darks
6. Ironing
7. Plan and Prep for Sunday’s meals




Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day
Thursday is Upstairs Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Until Midnight tonight...

...you can save an additional 15% off your order at Biblical Womanhood with coupon code SAVEMORE

Famous Mushrooms - Revised

I am going to a lunch today where we are to bring a dish we would serve at Thanksgiving. I am choosing to take my Famous Mushrooms because they are the absolute best appetizer - delicious, easy, and most importantly, you can pop them in the slow cooker and then move it out of the kitchen so it is not taking up valuable kitchen counter space!

Plus, they always get rave reviews, so that is good too! And this way there is no whining when supper will be ready as there is a snack out! Pairing this with a veggie plate and dip rounds out a small appetizer table beautifully!

Famous Mushrooms

4-5 packages of whole button mushrooms, cleaned (the white ones in the blue tray, if they are really big I halve them or even quarter them so the finished product is a bite size)
2 sticks of butter
2 envelopes Italian or Ranch salad dressing mix.

Add all ingredients together in a Crock Pot. Turn on low for about 3 hours, stirring every now and then. Mushrooms will shrink and get nice and juicy.

Cleaning Lists - Thursday

Today is Upstairs Day
1. Clean Master bathroom (change towels)
2. Clean Master bedroom (change linens)
3. Clean Miss Pear’s room (change linens)
4. Clean Upstairs bathroom (change linens)
5. Vacuum Upstairs
6. Dust Upstairs
7. Mop Upstairs
8. Laundry
a. Master Bathroom towels
b. Master Bedroom sheets
(Week 4 – mattress and pillow protectors
c. Miss Pear’s Sheets
(Week 3 – mattress protector and quilt)
d. Second bathroom towels

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day
Wednesday is Downstairs Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Cleaning Lists - Wednesday

Today is Downstairs Day

1. Clean downstairs bathroom
2. Change downstairs bathroom towels
3. Mending
4. Vacuum Downstairs
5. Mop Downstairs Floors
6. Laundry – Catch Up Day
7. Dust downstairs

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)
Tuesday is Errand Day

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

I just cannot do it!

We are having warm days, if it were August I would be turning the air conditioning on, but in November it just seems WRONG!

Especially considering that Sunday night I could not sleep so I went downstairs to read, and it was so chilly I had to turn the furnace on! Monday it went to 33C. So weird.

On the plus side, the heat from the day keeps the house warm at night, and if you open everything up for about half an hour in the morning and then close it all up the cool from the night keeps the house cool in the day.

But it is so weird.

Growing up in Canada I never thought I would find myself saying, "I just cannot bring myself to turn on the air conditioning in November!"

And when we first moved to Southern California I never thought I would be grateful for my stash of curling up under blankets!

Am I the only one with weird foibles about air conditioning and the thermostat based on what month it is?

Cleaning Lists - Tuesday

Tuesday is deliberately kept on the light side as Miss Pear and I are out most of the morning with BSF! We are working on finding a way for the two of us to be able to go to the grocery store without it being a huge production. Miss Pear does not want to sit in the cart on the little car in front of the cart, she wants to walk and put EVERYTHING in our cart, so while we work on that, grocery shopping is a family event!

But basically our day is out the door by 7:20 to get Daddy to work on time (we have one car, so we share like this), back home to finish getting ready for BSF (7:45-55ish), be putting on shoes and loading up the car with our bags at 8:30. Home at 11:20ish, have lunch, nap, run errands, pick up Daddy, finish shopping, home for supper. We tried being completely ready except for Miss Pear getting dressed this morning before we left the house the first time, and that worked well. Today is the day I use the slow cooker, and if possible I get it ready the night before and put the whole crock-pot insert into the fridge.

Today's errands include getting parking passes to park on our street during the parking with pass only ban, stopping at the post office, and Target. Then grocery shopping.

Today is Errand Day
1. Run all errands
a. Non-grocery shopping on way to pick up Mr. Pear
b. Grocery shopping on way home or after supper
2. Update budget lists
3. Laundry:
a. Miss Pear’s face clothes
b. Tea Towels and rags
c. Placemats, napkins, aprons

Monday is Kitchen Day (with Daily tasks included)

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

The Kitchen Bible

Now, maybe this is just me, and if it is, bear with me.

But sometimes, especially when I have A LOT to do, my attitude in my kitchen falters. I may not grumble, but I lose my focus of why I am doing this (to care for and bless my family) and cease to do my work to the glory of God (Col 3:23). Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, and sometimes I feel like just ordering pizza instead.

However, with the Fabulous Holiday Trifecta coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) and all that goes with it, and all the extra baking we do, I REALLY need to make sure I do this.

To help keep my attitude right in the kitchen and stay motivated I have my kitchen Bible. Gone are the days of morning long quiet times, and that is okay, but I still crave that feeding of the Word! So I keep a Bible open on the kitchen counter to whatever I need most. I read a couple verse and keep going, mulling them over as I go. I talk to my daughter about them, I think about it while I just keep going.

That Bible's only job is to get mussed and dirty because honestly, it does. Not badly, but occasionally there are spills or splashes, and pages get bent (thankfully not ripped, but tape would fix that too).

My kitchen Bible is not my study Bible, it is my kitchen partner, and while I prepare to feed my family, the Lord uses it to feed me. It never leaves my kitchen unless it is to be put on the kitchen table in the dining room, and then it quickly returns to the kitchen.

When I am done working in the kitchen I will close it, but it stays on the counter, just upright by the phone. And soon comes out again.

By the way, I started doing this in a kitchen so very small that I would put a cutting board across the sink for more space! I simply propped the Bible up against the wall and used something I was already using, like a cutting board, to anchor it!

This tip definitely helps me in the kitchen, especially during holiday season when I am in there all the more! So it is one of my best kitchen tips, plus it Works for Me!

Cleaning Lists - Monday

As requested, I am sharing my cleaning lists, by day. They are still a work in progress, to say the least!

This week I will share my daily lists, and then next week my zone cleaning lists. They are not final yet, and there will likely be somethings that got left off the list, and some things I have as monthly zone cleaning items that may really need to be done weekly, but adjustments will be made as we go along and see how it works.

Oh, and on the daily portion I have prayer, Bible reading, devotions with my daughter, and schooling activities, I did this so that they were constantly in front of me, reminding me because I get discouraged if I get to the end of the day and realize it has not been done yet. This is how I help myself! I will just include the daily and evening stuff today!

Monday
Daily
1. Pray (family, through home) (I pray through our home bit by bit, not all in one day, everyday!)
2. Bible Reading
3. Bible Reading with Miss Pear
4. Reading / Schooling with Miss Pear
5. Make bed
6. Daily Baking
7. Sweep kitchen floor (will be mopped on downstairs day)
8. Dishes (Dishwasher filled, put through, emptied, filled)
9. Put all laundry away
10. Tidy rooms
11. Check bathrooms
12. Zone Cleaning!
a. 15 minutes in this week’s zone
b. 10 minutes at desk

Today is Kitchen Day
1. Restock Baking Supplies, Coffee
2. Dust counters and appliances (spot cleaning as needed)
3. Empty and Tidy Kitchen Freezer (move to the bigger freezer whatever I can and tidy what remains)
4. Freezer Meal Stocking
5. Weekly Planning
6. Menu Planning
7. Update “Recipe Keeper’s” lists
8. Organize Coupons
9. Shopping Lists
10. Water Plants Inside (Week 1 – Fertilize)
11. Laundry – whites, darks, colors
12. Ironing

Evening
1. Put Miss Pear’s toys away (technically her job, but I pick up the strays)
2. Pour Miss Pear’s milk and water (so much easier to just grab out of the fridge in the AM)
3. Take out Mr. Pear’s lunch for tomorrow (thaws in fridge overnight)
4. Clean Kitchen (basically clean up from supper so the kitchen is clean in the morning)
5. New Kitchen Towels
6. Clean off today’s list (I keep it in page protectors so I can cross stuff off with a dry erase marker)
7. Quick tidy

Lists are based on a combination of what works for me and:

Sink Reflections: Overwhelmed? Disorganized? Living in Chaos? The FlyLady's Simple FLYing Lessons Will Show You How to Get Your Home and Your Life in Order--and It All Starts with Shining Your Sink!

More Hours in My Day: Proven Ways to Organize Your Home, Your Family, and Yourself

Christmas Gifts for 2 Year Olds

Finding toys for any child is not easy right now with the constant news of recalls, but we found a couple gems in the bunch!

We are big fans of the Learning Resources "Smart Snacks" toys because they are fun and, don't tell our daughter, educational! We find that she keeps returning to these toys again and again! So they are high on our list to pick up for other children!

The first three have been in our home for a number of months, are still in regular rotation, and well loved, they also seem to spark imagination.

Or all three!


Or a new one to us that is not quite as time tested, but looks promising!


And of course we are huge fans of crayons and coloring books!

Oh a crafting we will go....

...if we just knew the way!

I really enjoy crafting, and Miss Pear is old enough to do some projects with me as long as they are not too complicated.

I am on the hunt for easy, inexpensive Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts to do with little ones. If it is a book I would like it to be one that we could use for the next few years. Links would be great too!

Do you have any suggestions for crafts for the fall through winter season and holidays?

Saving at Michael's and Joanne's

It seems I am always making something, or planning to make something, or both. I enjoy crafting tremendously, but if I am not careful it can be very expensive.

We live near both a Michael's and a Joanne's (a super one, with all the extra stuff like knitting, scrap booking, cake making, etc.), and almost every week in the paper there is one coupon for Michael's and one for Joanne's - usually 40% off one item, sometimes 50%.

The nice thing is that you don't have to go to each store as each store takes their competitor's coupons!

Joannes will let you use both in one transaction! Michael's will often make you do two transactions.

I love it - it saves me money and the time hand hassle of going to both stores!

Plus we were there last night to pick up the few items we needed for Christmas crafting (a lot we already had on hand), and the Christmas baking stuff was all 25% off.

Head on over to Crystal's for more Frugal Friday Tips

Another Week, Another Recall

I was reading over at Crystal's and over at Shannon's about these recalls, both have some great discussion in their comments sections, and I have to confess, I am a bit alarmed by all these recalls, many of them by reputable companies! Between the food recalls and the toy recalls, the sad statement preceding talk of recalls in our house is, "another week, another recall."

It is very sad.

I understand the pressure on companies to remain cost competitive, but what are parents to do when names we know and trust, that we grew up with, are letting us down?