Continuing Kitchen Clean-up

So you have reorganized your kitchen, but how do you maintain it? How do you keep it from getting to that everything's in the kitchen and I can't cook stage?  Is there any hope to a happy healthy kitchen space?

Sure is.  Its called continuing the kitchen clean-up.  A daily routine that can be completed in the short space of the commericals of your favorite T.V. program.  Simple easy steps to maintaining a clean spotless kitchen.

Complete these simple steps everyday to insure kitchen cleanliness.

During Morning Breakfast - while cooking the morning breakfast - sweep the kitchen floor.  Doing this every morning prevents the nasty build-up of crunching crumbs under your tired feet.  Also empty the dishwasher from the night before - put away the clean dishes so it is free for the daytime dishes.

After Morning Breakfast - clean any dishes or rinse and put them in the dishwasher.  Doing this after every meal keeps your counters and sinks from getting run over with grimy dishes and keeps the task of dishwashing to a minimal chore.  Also wipe down the table and cooking area you just used.  Making a habit of this keeps counter maintainence easy as pie.

During Lunch - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them.  This makes the task of pot duty seem easy as can be. 

After Lunch - Clean any dishes and wipe down the table.  Continuing the clean-up.

During Supper - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them (continuing the clean-up).  Wipe down counter spaces for any debris and dust.  Pick up miscellaneous items that have strayed and do not belong in the kitchen - return them to their proper place.

After Supper - Load and start dishwasher or finish washing dishes.  Swiffer or sweep kitchen floors if necessary (I only do this every three days or so).  Clean cooking areas. 

Here is a short list without all the explanation:

Morning 1. Sweep

              2. Empty dishwasher - store clean dishes

              3. Clean dishes 

              4. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Midday  1. Clean pots and pans

              2. Clean dishes

              3. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Evening  1. Clean pots and pans

              2. Wipe down counter spaces

              3. Pick up misplaced items

              4. Load and start dishwasher

              5. Swiffer (2-3 times a week)

              6. Clean cooking areas.

None of these task take a lot of time - really only a few minutes each and area split up into times you are naturally in the kitchen anyway.  The job of kitchen clean-up becomes easy when you keep the task small and manageable.

DIY Ribbon Wreath/Bow Holder

I thought it might be beneficial to those of you with a creative whim to let you know my latest creation.  I created a ribbon wreath that doubles as a bow holder for that special little girl in you life.  It was so easy, it only took about and hour and a half of actual trial and error before I threw together something that really made me smile.   Pinterest gave me the idea of a ribbon wreath and a good friend of mine gave me the idea of a hair bow holder.  And a little later - the two just merged into one. This is the finished product - the steps to create your own will follow with tips of course!

DIY RIBBON WREATH AND BOW HOLDER

Items needed: ribbon (lots and lots)
                      foam wreath
                      cut-out letters - I used "chip board" letters from Hobby Lobby
                      hot glue (lots and lots)
                      decorative items (flowers)

Step 1: Take your foam wreath and cover it in ribbon - this was the trickiest step for me because I had a squared type foam wreath - the round ones are much easier.  You can cut and individually hot glue the ribbons which is what I did, because I was afraid that eventually the ribbon would move and not stay in place.  I used coordinating ribbons of brown and pink, but you can do it all one color or many different colors.  I wrapped the ribbon and cut it into sections then hot glued it.  *****TIP****** Make sure you get plenty of ribbon - I had to make another trip to the store :(

Step 2: Center and hot glue your letters onto the wreath.  *****TIP***** Plan this out before you glue - once they are in place - they are in place.

Step 3: Add decorations and hot glue them into place.  *****TIP***** Same as above planning saves a lot of aggravation.

Step 4: Add hanging ribbons at bottom and hot glue them into place.  These are for the hair bows that your little one will wear for years to come.  *****TIP***** When cutting the ribbon melt the edges with a lighter to have a finished edge, be careful not to burn them though.

That's it! Four easy steps and you have a beautiful hair bow holder, personalized and everything!

OH NO....I'm out of toilet paper!!!

There are certain items around the house that you usually buy in bulk.  These might include toilet paper, paper towels, dish liquid, detergent, bath soaps, canned goods (pantry staples), etc.  If you are like me, an avid coupon clipper, you might buy a bunch of this item at one time, enough to say last a couple of months.  Well, as busy as I am (being a mom and teacher and whatever other hat I am wearing that day), sometimes I admit it I forget to take inventory of what I need before I go shopping.  These items often get overlooked because they are not a weekly shopping item.  And sometimes, I hear the dreaded...."MOM--- we're out of toilet paper" only to go to the toilet paper storage and find there is none there. Then its a mad dash to the nearest store to buy a ridiculously expensive small pack of toilet paper just so somebody can get off of the toilet.  ADMIT IT WE HAVE ALL DONE IT....well...I say no longer shall I hear those words....I am putting a stop to it.

Here is my suggestion, I have only recently started trying it out, but it seems to be working wonderfully.  I take a 'lovely, I-don't-know-what-I-would-do-without" sharpie and I number each roll of toilet paper that I buy from the store on my bulk shopping trip.  I do the same with paper towels and every other bulk item I buy.  Here is the brilliant part (at least I think so), I store them in the cabinets backwards with number one all the way in the back of the cabinet and so on and so forth until they are all stored and the highest number is showing in the front.  Then, say I have 20 rolls of toilet paper, when I see number 10 in the front, I know it is time to add it to the grocery list.   

I know, I'm a genius right...no just desperate for a little reprieve from 'dash' shopping.  Anyhow, it has worked so far, I just added paper towels to the list because I usually keep 12 rolls in stock and just realized that I am on number six tonight.  I am so proud I did not run out of paper towels.  Now if only I can think of a way to actually remember to buy what is on my list, ah, but at last that is a whole other problem for another blog.

The Many Benefits of... Greeting Cards

Greeting cards have many benefits.  You can use them to cheer up a friend, make relationships stronger, keep in touch with relatives and friends, keep your own spirits bright, and remind others and yourself of special days throughout the year.  With extended families and the many holidays, it can be quite a task to keep greeting cards in check and in order.  Here are a few tips to get you off to using greeting cards efficiently and effectively.

Tip #1: Get a collection going.  Collect greeting cards for all holidays, events, and any occassion.  This is easiest done by finding a box of assorted greeting cards.  You can get these at hobby stores, bookstores, and of course online.  Start building a small collection that you can draw upon all year.

Tip #2: Organize your collection.  Organize your greeting cards by months.  If a month has birthdays, holidays, or special events, put a card from each of those categories in that months designated spot.  I use an expandable folder to keep all of my greeting cards organized.  I have it first divided into the twelve months.  Then I have categories, like holidays, birthdays, and other occassions.  If I have an unplanned event, then I can just draw from the other categories behind the months.  However, the ones that I know are coming up are already in their designated month section.

Tip #3: Pre-stamp all of your greeting cards.  I buy forever stamps from the post office and all of my planned greeting cards, at the beginning of the year, are stamped already.  This saves time later.

Tip #4: Keep an event calendar.  I have one calendar in my "Home Notebook" binder that is designated for events like birthdays, weddings, baby due dates (or showers), holidays, and anniversaries.

Tip #5: Keep a contact list.  Along with my event calendar, I have a contact list that I keep a running list of names, addresses, and phone numbers to keep track of the many people that need to be sent greeting cards throughout the year.  I try to update this whenever possible.

Tip #6: If you don't mind not being creative, it is a good idea to get a list of general sayings and words of encouragement for different holidays, this too can be found on the internet with minimal searching.

Tip #7: When you make your daily to-do list, make sure to check your calendar.  Keeping track of sending cards can be one of the hardest details. A daily to-do list, solves this problem.  Set aside five minutes each night to check calendars and coordinate events for each day so you don't find yourself accidentally forgetting that important person.

Off to Work I Go - ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE!

Because I am returning to work after the holiday season, I thought it fitting to do a post about getting yourself and your kids ready for the day.  As a mom, this is one of the hardest jobs we do every single day.  Get children who don't want to go to school up and ready, get a husband who can't fend for himself up and out the door, and get a person (yourself) who is always worried about others to worry about themselves and ready.  You really have to be superwoman to accomplish this feat some days.

It is important that the day start off good for you and your children.  A hectic morning can set the pace and determine the peacefulness of your entire day, believe it or not.  It can cause you to forget important items at home, forget important events and appointments throughout the day, and can ruin any chance of a good mood at work or school.

So what can you do to have a peaceful and successful start of each day, especially when that day means getting everybody in the mood and off to work or school -

ROUTINE - I know you have heard the word a million (and now a million and one times), but really it all boils down to having a set routine that you do everyday rain or shine, sleet or snow.  As a teacher, I can tell you children thrive on routine.  They need to know their world is safe and predictable.  They need to know what is coming next and that next is going to be something good.  They are creatures of habit (even bad ones) and they act out when they don't know what to do next or can't decide what should be done next.  Set up a morning routine.  I paid attention to what my kids do naturally in the morning and use that to assist me in setting up a routine that flows with their natural habits.  I used the following form to set up a routine every       
morning for them.  I no longer need to refer to the routine sheet, but it does come in handy when they stay with someone else when I am not at home and I need their routine to continue to be comfortable for them.  Their daddy finds it especially helpful because he is not home to know what their routine already is.

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Morning Routine Setup Guide

PREPARATION - Believe me, I know at the end of the day the last thing you want to do is prepare for the day ahead.  But if you want a smooth, less chaotic, and peaceful morning - five minutes of prep the night before will go a long way.  Everynight right before I go to bed, I prepare my to-do list for tomorrow with all the major things I hope to get done the night before.  But more importantly, I prepare items for my husband and children the night before.  I make sure booksacks are packed and by the front door.  I make sure diaper bag is packed with fresh clothing and diapers and all necessities and by the front door.  I make sure my husband's lunch is in a container in a designated spot in the refrigerator ready to be put in a bag in the morning.  I make sure things are picked up and out of the way for the morning rush.  I make sure shoes are by the front door and accounted for. By doing these few little routine items every night, in the morning there is no yelling at children to find their shoes, booksacks, or scrambling to look for lost items.  My husband can easily grab his lunch and head out without waking me and the kids.  (He gets up and out to work way earlier than the rest of us).  Our morning is much smoother and I do a lot less fussing, which always makes me happier.

TIME MANAGEMENT - I am an early person.  I arrive early to everything - early to work, early to appointments, early to visits, etc.  I believe in being early to avoid being late.  I believe if you give yourself extra time for the "not planned" events, then they will not cause you to be late and therefore stress about being late.  I always practice how much time I need to do things.  A few days before school starts I practice the amount of time I need to be up and get everything I want done, I practice how much time I need to get the kids up and moving without rushing, and I even practice how much driving time I need.  I always give myself about twenty extra minutes to make sure everything will run smoothly and a last minute dirty diaper or vomiting child will not set my routine on end.  By allowing myself extra time, I allow myself to be calm before I even wake my children.  I allow myself not to stress because one child is taking a little longer to get ready.  I allow myself not to worry if traffic is heavier than normal.  I am calmer, my morning is calmer, and my children are calmer in the morning.  This allows me to start my day fresh, free of stress, and calm (most of the time).  I am not always perfect, and you should not expect to be so either.  There will be times when no matter how much extra time you give yourself - you will be running late, but if you make it a point for that not to be a habit, you will have a much better and peaceful morning.  The MORNING ROUTINE SETUP GUIDE takes all of these elements into consideration and gives you helpful tips to make the most of your morning routine and make your morning routine work for you.