How do you plan your dinner menus?

My method seems so complicated when I write it out but it’s what’s worked best for me over the years! I usually start to write down dinner ideas a couple of days before payday, which is every two weeks, and I write down enough dinners for two weeks’ worth. I use little notebooks for this and usually refer back to past menus for ideas. I try and make sure I write down the cookbook and the page number if applicable, and more often than not I have to hunt around online for a recipe I know I’ve used before but can’t find in my big folder of loose recipes!

Then I go and pull out the cookbooks and recipes that I need and add what ingredients I don’t have on hand to a list. I usually have a separate piece of paper that I write down things I need to check on when I’m done, usually for stuff I’m not sure how much I have left or if I even have any at all. When I go through the cupboards to check from the list that’s also when I write down things I’m about to run out of, etc.

My biggest issue has always been sides! I’m not good at picking side dishes unless it’s green beans from a can or my new lifesaver – bags of frozen vegetables that you leave in the bag when you pop it in the microwave. Occasionally I’ll think to do biscuits or something with potatoes, but I don’t usually do that until dinner’s almost done anyway and there’s not enough time.

Do you have a method for dinnertime madness?

[image: sxc]

Post from: Blisstree

Mom’s Meal Planning

I love this series of videos! We’ll be moving within the next two months and I’d like to get a jump start on the kids’ toys before we even move in to make sure we get a handle on it without having to resort to just shoving stuff into closets and into drawers.

Though my kids are getting a little older and don’t have as many toys anymore, what they do have still takes up a lot of space and can really junk up a room if not taken care of! The other videos in the series include:

~ Choosing a location for the toys
~ Creating zones for toys
~ Storing toys
~ Labeling toys

What tips and tricks do you use for keeping the toy clutter under control?

Post from: Blisstree

Children’s Toy Storage

One of my favorite websites, The Consumerist, has a section of the site dedicated solely to what they call the Grocery Shrink Ray. Basically manufacturers are shrinking product amounts while keeping the packaging and pricing the same.

I first ran into this several months ago when I needed to get some yogurt for a recipe and realized I’d need two containers whereas I used to only need one. A little while before that I noticed when putting away packages of bulk-store bought toilet paper that the newer packages I’d just bought were a good half inch shorter than the older packages still in the back of the cupboard. Not that that’s a huge deal – it’s only 1/4″ shaved off each roll, but not only was there less in the package the cost had also jumped up. I wonder how many extra rolls that ends up being? I just wish now I’d thought to get a picture!

When questioned, some manufacturers have had the nerve to say they’re making things smaller because their consumers want it that way! This is some fascinating logic considering it now forces the consumers to buy more to get the same amount they used to get. On the flip side, at least others have a sense of humor about it.

Have any of your brands been hit with the shrink ray?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

The Grocery Shrink Ray

Image details: Thinkstock Single Images served by picapp.com

We’ve had our house on the market for the last several weeks and because of this it’s important that things stay spotless so we can dash out when a realtor calls. I don’t usually care so much that the house is gleaming – tidy is nice – but we’re in a tough area for selling right now and can use any help we can get!

Anyway, keeping things clean is easy to do when I’m the only one home. But when the girls walk in the door from school there’s suddenly stuff just everywhere – backpacks, shoes, homework, random papers, wrappers, pencils, hair bands – you get the idea. I’ve tried to keep a close eye on them as they unload from their day and I swear, the stuff just materializes.

It’s gotten old riding them about it. They’re usually pretty good about putting their things away when they’ve had a chance to settle in but I’ve figured that putting things away immediately will help save some time and maybe keep everything else from just deteriorating into “I’ll take care of that later” mode.

So on Friday I went out to the garage and brought a garbage bag inside. Just a regular 13 gallon kitchen garbage bag. I told the girls they had five minutes to pick up everything that belonged to them and put them away in the correct places or else it was going in The Bag.

You should have seen them start hopping. I also made sure to tell them that the bag’s domain wasn’t limited to just the family room and that we’d be heading to their bedrooms too to make sure they weren’t just moving piles of stuff around from one room to another.

So what’s the point of the bag? As I explained to the girls, anything left behind goes in. I didn’t care of it’s shoes, toys, homework or clothes – if they leave it out it’s going in. However, this trash bag isn’t going in the trash. I designated a spot in the laundry room up on a shelf as the new home of the bag, and the girls have to earn their items if they want it back. This can consist of anything from doing an extra chore to picking something up without me asking them to (they get one warning before the bag comes out).

So far, Friday is the only day we’ve had to use the bag! All weekend they managed to keep on top of it, even mentioning that they didn’t want this doll or that toy ending up in the bag.

Now, this isn’t something I came up with on my own. My stepmom tried to use it on all of us kids when I was much younger, but it wasn’t enforced so it didn’t work, which is probably why I didn’t think to try it out for myself sooner. But so far, so good!

Have you ever tried using the bag or a similar stay-clean method?

Post from: Blisstree

Mom Tip: “The Bag”

[image: sxc]

I love giveaways! I love finding and learning about new products, or discovering fun and beautiful things. I recently put out a request for giveaway prizes and the response was nothing short of amazing!

For this first round we have a great selection of items for mom to be won! The next round will be more kid-centric — you’ve got to put yourself first once in a while, right?

To Enter:

To enter, simply leave a comment in this entry. That’s it!

Each item will have one winner unless otherwise specified, and your one entry will make you eligible to win any below items!

This giveaway will run until Friday, May 30th, and winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Saturday, May 31. One entry per person, and make sure you leave a valid email address in the email field so I can contact you if you win.

The Prizes:

In no particular order, here’s what you can win!

Prize #1

Pearl Tile Pendant
(chain not included)

This beautiful pendant is provided by ILovePhotoGifts.com. It is created from pearl white tile which offers just a slight shimmer that makes your image pop! Tile measures approximately 3/4″ x 1″ and can be created in a vertical or horizontal format. The tile is fired clay with your black & white or color photo showcased in it. This is a special product that is only available with one image that will be reproduced on both sides of the tile. (Chain not included.)

Prize #2

Lierac Laboratories Phytolastil

Lierac Paris’ has been committed to healthy and radiant skin for nearly 30 years. Combining botanical expertise with precise scientific procedures, Lierac’s innovative skincare products were designed to restore and treat the skin’s physiological balance.

Lierac Laboratories developed Phytolastil, a product that employs the active tannoids and flavonoids in alchemilla, ivy and horsetail to stimulate the production of the collagen and elastin. Lierac utilizes this powerful plant synergy in two clinically proven formulas: a gel for preventing stretch marks and solution for reducing them. Unscented and non-greasy, Phytolastil products are easy and pleasant to use.

When applied daily to areas prone to stretch marks (stomach, breast, hips and thighs) from the beginning of the second trimester to the return of regular menstrual flow, Phytolastil gel is 92% effective in preventing stretch marks. (35% alchemilla, horsetail, and ivy.) With unparalleled efficacy, Phytolastil solution offers a cosmetic solution to existing stretch marks. When used for the entire course of treatment (8 weeks), clinical studies show positive results in 86% of cases. (80% alchemilla, horsetail, and ivy)

Prize #3

TrimWater

TrimWater is great for moms looking to shed baby weight, stay in shape and not have to sacrifice something that tastes great!

TrimWater is the ultimate diet drink, with only 10 calories and 3 grams of sugar per bottle, and nutritionally enhanced to help with weight maintenance. TrimWater comes in a myriad of flavors and has no artificial colors, flavors, aspartame, preservatives, or carbonation, but it tastes great with no funky ‘diet aftertaste’.

One winner will win a multipack containing all of the great TrimWater flavors: Pomegranate-Cranberry, Pink Grapefruit-Honey, Peach-Mango, Lemon-Citrus, Blueberry-Pear, Raspberry-Vanilla, Black Cherry-Blackberry, and Passionfruit-Berry.

Prize #4

Dirt Devil KRUZ Vacuum

Dirt Devil’s KRUZ vacuum from the Karim Rashid design series is a great gift for moms everywhere—allowing moms to look stylish while cleaning!

Swerve. Twist. Pivot. Coast. Dirt Devil’s KRUZ cordless floor vac offers easy maneuverability to address your hard surface cleaning needs. The KRUZ’s Soft Glide Technology delivers effortless cleaning of dry hard floor surfaces. This cordless vacuum sweeper’s Soft Touch Bumper maneuvers gently around furniture and along baseboards to quickly and safely clean even hard to reach areas. Designed by Karim Rashid, you can feel comfortable leaving this sleek, modern vac out in any room. KRUZ – The New Shape of Clean.

Prize #5

Billion Dollar Brows Babe Kit

Mother’s love the gift of beauty! Now with Billion Dollar Brows babe kit, mother’s can feel their absolute best! The Brow Babe Kit contains an exclusive mix of Brow Boost, Brow Powder, and Gel.

Brow Boost helps to strengthen and condition brows. The smooth, easy to apply brow powder enhances the brow line, giving brows a beautiful, natural finish. Lock in the look and set brow hairs with the silky Brow Gel. Plus, the angled brush easily applies and blends the brow powder to perfection.

Prize #6

WaterWeek

WaterWeek is a set of five reusable bottles for every day of the work week designed to make it “cool” and safe for people to reuse water bottles while contributing to the reduction of the more 25 millions plastic bottles thrown away each day. Available in five colors and patterns, WaterWeek is made of a BPA-free plastic that his highly durable and ideal for a variety of everyday activities where Moms would typically take a water bottle like the office, gym, play date or sporting events. The set fits in the refrigerator in a specially-designed tray that holds the set securely in place – without taking up a lot of space.

With WaterWeek, Moms can bottle their own tap water – and stop buying huge cases of water at their local grocery or club store! This is just one seamless, economical way to incorporate environmental sustainability into your family’s lifestyle.

Prize #7

Coupons for CVS Personalized Photo Books

CVS/pharmacy, the retail leader in digital imaging services and products now offers high quality hard cover, bound photo books that can be created within minutes and picked up that same day. In-Store Photo Books are available nationwide exclusively at CVS/pharmacy Photo Centers.

Personalized photo books are quick—and easy—to create. Consumers bring digital media such as a memory card, CD or USB flash drive to their local CVS/pharmacy’s photo kiosk and select the “photo book” option, which automatically populates a book template with the selected photos. Pages are customizable by rearranging the pictures, changing the size of the photos, adding text and choosing from a variety of available backgrounds. Each book is ten pages long and beyond the cover page, can feature up to six pictures per page for a total of up to 54 pictures in a 6” x 8” book. Up to ten additional pages also can be purchased and pricing for all sizes are as follows: 4” x 6” holds 36 pictures – $5.99; 6” x 8” holds 54 pictures – $12.99; 8” x 10” holds 72 pictures – $14.99

In-store photo books are printed on premium Kodak paper and are the perfect solution to those last minute gift-giving occasions and holiday parties. From holidays to birthdays, thank you gifts to hostess gifts, photo books from CVS/pharmacy are an ideal choice for any occasion.

Prize #8

1000 Best Baby Bargains

Kimberly Danger is the author of 1000 Best Baby Bargains and the founder and editor of mommysavers.com, an online community for savvy moms. 1000 Best Baby Bargains includes hundreds of tips inspired by the Mommysavers.com newsletter and hints that have appeared on the website over the course of the past several years. It also includes many creative new tips that mothers of kids under two will want to read about!

Prize #9

BookSwim

BookSwim.com, the nation’s first and only hardcover/ paperback book rental club (similar to a “netflix for books”) mails books out with no due dates, no late fees, and unlimited rentals per month. A free three-month membership will be provided for one lucky winner!

Prize #10

21 Day Meditation

The ultimate makeover for your mind! Experience inner peace, joy and increased energy with meditation. 21 day live meditation instruction from the comfort of your own home to help you develop the habit of meditation!

Moms are busy and stressed out and meditation helps combat this stress! Yet most mom’s don’t have time to meditate or learn to meditate. This is a live 21 day meditation instruction for 15 minutes a day that can be done from the comfort of one’s own home. The 21 day program shows moms (and others) how to incorporate meditation into their daily life and form a habit of it! The 21 day program shows moms how to convert waiting time into meditating time! And how to meditate while doing daily activities. Other moms have participated in these calls in the past!

(Please note that while the $197 fee to join the meditation circle will be waived, the participant will be responsible for applicable long distance charges for the 21 days unless they have a carrier that provides free long distance).

Post from: Blisstree

Giveaway Round 1: Lots of Great Stuff for Mom!

It includes a suggestion to start getting kids up at whatever hour they’ll need to rise once school starts, and to start doing it ten days before the big day, even on weekends. I’m too late for that, we only have a week left, and honestly I can’t bring myself to get up at 6:30 for no reason when my kids both like to sleep until 7:30 or 8 am. I do intend to implement this next Monday, which will give us three practice days and if nothing else, it will make her tired enough to fall asleep easily at night.

It also says that you should prepare a ten minute slot at night for prep time, where you set up the school bags and anything that needs to be taken in the morning. You can also set up your breakfast area and lay out all clothes right down to underwear, socks, and accessories to avoid clothing issues – that’s one thing that I can breathe easy about since we have a dress code so it’s just a matter of deciding on tunic vs. pants and polo vs. blouse. Thank heavens.

The author recommends, well, annoying your kids awake, by setting a clock radio to a loud and cheery radio station and to make sure you open the blinds and get them up and moving in bright light. Even if they complain.

One thing which I’m going to start as soon as tomorrow is their suggestion to create a game out of morning routines. You can set a timer and see if they can get dressed before it goes off, brush their teeth before it buzzes, and so on. The article makes the game fun by saying you can offer up a prize of some sort if they beat the timer every day of the week.

The only thing I’m flat out refusing? Their idea of getting up 30 minutes ahead of time to have some quiet morning time to prepare yourself and whatnot. Although they say that you’ll feel better for it and be in a good mood as a result, that would mean I would have to get up at 6 am. Considering my night owl genes, I can’t imagine that would make for much of a good mood by the time I do the wake up rounds. I figure my coffee is instant, and my breakfast and e-mail can just wait until the school bus has gone by.

One more week to go, I can’t believe it!

Post from: Blisstree

Gearing up for back to school

Some hints, then, on better wash:

• always check ALL pockets for stuff: I just washed a good sized stick I’d neglected to find in my son’s pockets, and am forever pulling out crayons, rocks, weird sticky toys, etc, not to mention the inevitable tissue…

• Vinegar in the rinse cycle is a fine clothes softener
• hot water sets stains, so don’t do it! As soon as you can, put a pre-treater on the stain and let it soak in cold water, then add it to the wash
• Use bleach sparingly, as it does break down the fibres of your clothes. If you’ve got a kid like mine, your whites aren’t ever going to be white without a little help. Oxiclean or other oxygen-based cleaners do a great job
• don’t put wool sweaters in the washing machine. Just don’t. I wouldn’t recommend doing it with cotton sweaters either. Wash by hand, and lay flat to dry. Don’t wring them out, either. Lay the sweater flat on a towel, roll the sweater up in the towel, then walk on the rolled towel to force excess moisture from the sweater.
• Use a lingerie bag for your unmentionables. Hook your bras closed before washing them, as the hooks can snag on other fabrics and ruin them
• Zip all zippers before washing clothes. The zipper teeth can damage other fabrics in the wash

Your clothes will get more wear if you take a little time before you wash them.
Oh… and try this weird but reliable method to remove chocolate stains: soak the stain in milk, and then launder as usual.

Post from: Blisstree

Secrets of perfect laundry

“Hey, mama, do you know what I do with some of my boogers? I put them in my other nostril!”

Yes, he said that to me tonight. He really, truly did.

***

We had a long day on Saturday. We went here. We went there. We walked from here to there. He was tired. So was I. He weighs almost 40 pounds. He wanted to be carried.

One of my greatest affectations is a long scarf. I’ve got some that are maybe seven feet long and a good two and a half feet wide. Luckily, I was wearing one on Saturday and POOF! a sling was born. I tucked one long edge of it up under his bottom, pulled the scarf around us, and tied it–one end over my right shoulder, the other under my left arm. He got the piggy back ride he begged for. I got some relief for my back and arms, and we both got a sweet taste of the old days, when I’d pop my baby in the sling and away we’d go. Every mom, mommy, or mama should have something so handy-dandy.

Tags: motherhood, mothering, mommy, mama, mom, sling, baby wearing, carrying your child, toddlers, boogers, ingenuity

Post from: Blisstree

Mothering tips and things you never wanted to know

Notes on how to behave:

• don’t poke your kid in the chest with the point of your umbrella
• Don’t slap your kid for smiling at you
• Don’t tease your kids until they cry or look at you with murder in their eyes.

If you tell your kids they are bad, worthless and horrid long enough and often enough and loud enough, they will start to believe you. You sure that’s the message you want your kids to learn?

And in honor of spring having finally sprung, I will leave you with this simple, fashionista tip:

White undies under white pants = big VPL/VP no no.

If you won’t wear a thong, be sure to wear underwear that matches the color of your skin as closely as possible.

And remember: skin-tone BAND-AIDS aren’t.

Post from: Blisstree

Still life with metrobus

Since his father is French, there’s the French camp, with immersion programs in the language. And since he loves science, I’m hoping to send him to the Smithsonian’s summer camp. He does love sports, so if there’s a soccer camp for four year olds, we can always have fun there, and then there’s always that general campus of fun kind of camp where you do a little bit of everything.

But honestly? I suspect that my son’s favorite camp is going to be Camp Grammy.

What are your plans this summer?

Post from: Blisstree

Have you got your summer holidays all planned out?