Save Time On Doing The Dishes

Doing the dishes is drudgery at its best. It’s time-consuming, gross, and frustrating. If you have to wash your dishes by hand, it can take forever. Even if you have a dishwasher, you have to take time to rinse, and sometimes scrub the dishes before running them through to ensure they’ll get clean. Don’t miss a load or you’ll see a mountain of dirty dishes grow in your sink. Strange small flies may appear! Take control of this daily headache with a few simple tips. As mentioned, don’t miss a load. Getting behind on the dishes can throw your schedule into a tailspin and nothing is worse than realizing there are no clean spoons after you’ve already poured the milk into your cereal. Try to have an empty dishwasher each morning that you can add dirty dishes to as you go along. Once it’s full, run it immediately so you don’t forget. Paper plates are always great though not environmentally conscientious, but you don’t always need to use plates for everything. If you make a peanut butter sandwich for your child for lunch, simply place it on a napkin that acts as a plate as well as serves its original purpose. Have each family member use the same cup all day to avoid getting an unnecessary amount dirty. Also, clean food-encrusted pans immediately after use to save yourself from having to scrub later. Use these easy tips and dirty dishes won’t drag you down!

A Playdate for Mom!

Moms organize playdates, after-school activites, birthday parties, family vacations, holidays, and everything else.  Well, how about a playdate for mom?  Women’s groups range from book clubs to supper clubs.  Here’s a idea - game night.  Organize a group of women to get together monthly for a grown-up, women only game night.  It might be bridge, pinochle, or bingo.  Here are a few ideas for a fun, moms only get together!

• Set up a monthly schedule for several months in advance.  Then stick to it.  Pick the most available day, but whoever can make it, makes it.
• Each person brings a small door prize.  The hostess can supply a larger prize.  Play in rounds for prizes.  Use a timer if necessary. 
• The hostess supplies a light dinner and dessert. 
• Take turns hosting, and pass off the game pieces to next month’s hostess at the close of each evening. 
• No kids or husbands allowed!  (OK, they may be upstairs confined to the den eating takeout pizza…) 
• Everyone goes home with a prize, and has had a relaxing evening with friends.  This is also a great way to meet new people; encourage participants to bring a friend, sister, mother, neighbor. 
• Set up an RSVP policy so the hostess knows how much food to prepare.
• HAVE FUN!  It’s playtime for mom! 

Look Less Tired

There isn’t a Mom in the world who gets the kind of sleep she needs or deserves, but it doesn’t have to appear that way! Leave your house looking fresh-faced and full of beauty sleep every day with these simple tips.

1. As soon as you wake up, splash cold water on your face for several minutes.

2. Wrap an ice-filled sandwich bag with a cloth and place it on your eyes for about five minutes. Moisturize your face with an SPF-containing cream.

3. Drink a large glass of water with breakfast to stave off dehydration for the day.

4. Continue drinking water throughout the day to avoid retaining water which can cause a puffy, tired appearance. Drink about 64 ounces per day if possible.

5. Dot concealer under your eyes and tap into dark circles.

6. Sweep petroleum jelly across your brow bones directly underneath your eyebrows and across the top of your cheekbones. Exclude powder from your make-up routine which can accentuate creases and wrinkles.

7. Brush your hair and make sure your clothing is clean and pressed to give you a more polished look.

8. Avoid salty foods and caffeine, both of which can make you look bloated.

9. Put some pep in your step. If you’re healthy enough to exercise, fifteen to thirty minutes can energize you and get your blood flowing giving you a healthy glow.

10. Clean your face and moisturize before bed and sleep on a satin pillowcase. Avoid sleeping on your side or stomach, but rather try to rest on your back.

Even if you only practice a few of these tips, you should look brighter and refreshed!

Simple Fruit Dessert

Want a quick, tasty dessert tonight?  Try a fruit salad!  No, not your grandma’s, the kind that incorporated a can of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup. 

Grab whatever tasty fruit is in season- berries, apples, pears, oranges, bananas, kiwis, mangos, etc. 

Wash, (peel if necessary), and slice or chop- I often use slices or spears rather than chopping into chunks.  It makes it easier for the kids to eat and gives a nice mixed texture. 

Squeeze a little lime juice and drizzle honey over the top of the fruit, stirring together.  Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon or nutmeg, or add toasted chopped nuts.  Serve in individual bowls for a quick, healthy dessert!  And for a touch of fun, a dollop of whipped cream.

5 Ways to Work from Home

It’s hard for any working mom to go back to the office after a few months of maternity leave. Now, thanks to emerging technologies, you may not need to be in the office to be working. The Entangled Universe has put together a list of five ways you can skip the traditional 9-5 office job for something a bit more flexible:

1. Work a traditional job from home
A traditional office job can be worked in the peace of your house. You just need a broadband connection, a computer and perhaps a multifunction printer. More sophistication would ask for a webcam for video conferencing. This can easily be done, and many already experimented it. If you work in IT or some branches of engineering or for example accounting, you can already find some “at home positions”.

Economizing on Groceries

For many families with kids, grocery shopping eats a huge chuck of change each week.  Of that weekly bill, a large portion goes to meat.  This source of protein and vitamins is one of the most expensive components of most meals.  So you’re not ready to go vegetarian?  Here’s a couple of tips for cutting the cost while still incorporating meat into the menu.

• Buy less expensive cuts.  Use the crockpot to slow cook and tenderize.
• Learn how to braise meat.  It’s pretty simple- pop a chunk of meat (a pork or beef roast) into the oven at a high temperature; cook for a short period.  Lower the temperature and cover the dish and cook for a longer period, depending on the meat- it makes for moist and tender meats.  This works for inexpensive roasts and is great to add inexpensive root veggies like potatoes and carrots.
• Incorporate meat into larger dishes, rather than making it the main attraction.  Stir fry chicken breasts and cut into slices- add to a salad or stir fry veggies.  Toss chicken or shrimp into pasta with alfredo sauce.  Pan fry a few fish filets, break into pieces, and make fish tacos.  Make regional specialties like shrimp and grits; chicken and dumplings; gumbo; green chile and pork stew. 

The Never Ending Fruit Bowl

I have three boys- it seems like they eat non-stop!  To quell the before-dinner snacking, I filled a big pretty fruitbowl with seasonal fresh fruits that are easy to eat out-of-hand, and sat it smack in the middle of the kitchen table.  The bowl may hold apples, pears, bananas, tangerines, and often those miniature boxes of raisins. 

When the boys come in for a late afternoon snack, I simply point them to the fruit bowl, especially if dinner is within site!  Sure, kids often want to eat junk, but if they’re really hungry, that fruit bowl gets more and more tempting…….. and it keeps them satisfied until dinner!  And if any of the fruit gets past its prime, I use it in banana bread, baked apples, or other simple recipes- That they boys will also eat!

Don’t think your kids are that into fruit? Take them to the grocery store or farmer’s market, or even a local fruit farm and let them pick it out themselves.

From Field to Table

With all the media attention on fresh, local food, here’s a great idea for getting your kids involved.  Try a local pick-your-own, or U-Pick farm.  These are found all over the country, and kids absolutely love it.  I grew up on a farm, but my three boys are suburbanites, so the chance to get their hands dirty is always a great spring activity for them, especially when it involves food, another of their favorites.  We’ve picked raspberries in California and Northern New Mexico, peaches and blueberries in Florida, strawberries in Louisiana, and more.  Most U-Pick farms are family friendly and don’t frown on eating while you pick.  In fact, if the raspberry farms were really concerned with making money, they would have weighed the boys on their way in and again on the way out!  Most will have baskets to pick in, and some even supply little red wagons for carrying what you pick.  (or tired kids!) 

To find a local farm in your area, visit www.pickyourown.org , which lists u-pick farms by state.

Travel Snacks

Spring break is upon us, and many families will be taking a vacation, even if it is relatively close to home.  Long rides in the car with kids can result in multiple fast-food drive thru’s, (plus the accompanying squished trash in the floor of the backseat), never-ending discussion of they want to eat, and the always popular, “how much further?” 

To keep down the cost, hassle, and junk the kids consume, I make them a snack pack before we leave.  For each child, I put in several healthy snacks plus a napkin or two in a paper lunch bag.  Great options include cheese sticks, raisins, crackers, fruit in a ziplock, and other easy to handle snacks.  When the first child starts asking for snacks, I pass out the brown bags.  They don’t all have to eat the same thing, and they can pick and choose what they want, plus the brown bag makes a handy trash bag.  The only other thing I need is a small cooler with juice boxes or water on gel ice packs, and we’re set for a road trip!

Deciphering Laundry Tag Symbols

Our readers know that we are always looking for ways to save you time and to share ideas to make life a little bit easier. 

This is why when we received this hack submission from Noah with www.noprobo.com, we had to share it with you!  He found a website that gives advice not only on laundry care solutions, such as removal of stains, but it also gives a chart letting you know what all the laundry tag symbols mean.

We’ve all had this problem at some point or another.  Not every brand gives washing and laundry care instructions written out for you - sometimes they just show the symbols.  Well, http://www.textileaffairs.com/ breaks down what every symbol means so you won’t be confused on how to care for your laundry any longer.  I have visited this website and it truly is helpful. 

Thanks for the hack submission, Noah!

April Fools!

Looking for something fun and unexpected for your little ones?  Try an April Fool’s trick.  Tell them tonight they can have dessert first- make turkey meatloaf muffins for dinner, with mashed potatoes.  Using a little food coloring, color the potatoes and frost the muffins.  Then for dessert, make a mock grilled cheese sandwich- using frozen store bought pound cake (the Sara Lee type that comes in a loaf) slice it like bread, toast briefly in a skillet, and slather orange colored canned frosting between the cake slices to look like melted cheese.  Your kids will be in for a tasty surprise!

Clutter Control

Spring Cleaning is a wonderful annual event. With the rebirth of nature all around us we yearn to have a fresh start ourselves. Out with the old and in with the new. Well…how about just out with the old? No point in cutting the clutter around the house only to replace it with more clutter. Here is a great and easy way to tackle the clutter in your house this spring.

1. Attack one room at a time. Edit out anything that doesn’t need to be in there. Have a trash bag in the room and four bins. Label the bins: “Sell”, “Donate”, “Re-gift”, and “Storage”. Be discriminating and unsentimental. If you haven’t used or worn something in years, what’s the point of keeping it?

2. Take the “Donate” bin(s) immediately to your local thrift store or charity.

3. Plan a yard sale or list items from the “Sell” bin(s) online within a few days of finishing your Spring Cleaning. If you wait longer, the items will just collect dust and probably never leave the confines of your house.

4. Store the “Re-gift” bin(s) in a clean, safe place in your home that is easily accessible. Write a list of the contents and tape to the outside of the bin(s) to refer to when a special occasion arises.

5. Put away the “Storage” bin(s) in a space such as the attic or unused closet as soon as possible and write a list of the contents to tape to the outside of the bin(s).

Even though the term is “Spring Cleaning”, if you really want to keep your house in tip top shape, follow this advice each season!

How to become Likeable

I can hear some of you now - how can I become likeable? Shouldn’t people like me for who I am? Sure, they should. Soemtimes, however, we can have habits that drive people away. Ones that we should try to change. If you’re having trouble with coworkers, other moms at the park, or other gals at the gym, look at this list of 21 Keys to Magnetic Likability from “Mark and Angel Hack Life” and see if you need a little fine tuning.

Be Attentive to Others and Never Stop Listening – Self-centered people are usually unlikable. When you’re involved in a conversation, it’s important to focus more on the other person and less on yourself. If you genuinely concern yourself with others and listen to them closely, you’ll make scores of friends with little effort. Remember, everybody loves a good listener.
Compliment People Who Deserve It – Go out of your way to personally acknowledge and complement the people who have gone out of their way to shine. Everybody likes to hear that their efforts are appreciated.
Make Yourself Available and Approachable – If people cannot get a hold of you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. Your general availability and accessibility to others is extremely important to them. Always maintain a positive, tolerant attitude and keep an open line of communication to those around you.

How To Have A Good Day!

Life is full of surprises. We can’t control much of what happens in our lives from one day to the next. What we can control is how we react to it. Joy is learned. You can’t expect happiness but you can expect yourself to try to be content in any situation. It’s easier than you think! Try these simple steps to a more satisfying life and more good days.

1. Don’t let little things bother you. As cliched as this advice is, it’s timeless. Why let your day be ruined by a puddle of freshly-poured red juice on your carpet? Calmly clean up the mess. Will being angry erase the stain?

2. Think about all the wonderful blessings in your life. No matter how badly your day might be going, there is someone, somewhere, who unfortunately has it worse. Be grateful for what you have.

3. Give back. Whether you give your time or your money, helping other people is a sure way to put a smile on your face. Try to do one good deed a day, no matter how small. You’ll make the world, and your life, better.

4. Have a good support network. If you don’t live around family, or happen to have a lot of friends, go out and make some. Talk to your neighbors, go to church, or join a club. If you can’t get out, have people over to visit.

5. Treat yourself right. If you take good care of yourself, you’re more likely to have a good day. Eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep, and nurture those around you as well.

6. Get organized. Clutter and disorder will only lead to frustration. Straighten up your life and edit out all that is unnecessary.

Now, have a good day!

First Aid and Safety Tips

Sometimes small actions can make a world of difference in child’s safety. If you are the mother of a small child, take some time to look into these tips from Top5Guide.com. I’ve poted just a few of my favorite tips here:

Home made cough remedy: boil a lemon in a cup of water, remove lemon, cut in half an extract juice. To the juice add 1/2 a cup of honey. Take a teaspoon at a time as required. Stir well before each dose.

Teach your kids emergency numbers, your own phone number and numbers for a close family member from an early age by getting them involved in making the call. Practice with them to ‘call grandma’ or ‘call home’. Have emergency numbers written somewhere at your child’s height, 000 along with visual representations of fire/police/ambulance placed on the fridge will help to familiarise children with these numbers should they ever need to use them.

Turn Old Jars into Storage

Recycle your old jars into storage containers for craft supplies and small items. By adding handles small children will be able to carry the jars with ease. This tip from BlissfullyDomestic.com was done using old Peanut Butter jars, but can be used with any soft plastic topped jar. (I wouldn’t recommend the metal as it may be possible to create sharp edges.)

To insure that the lids stay with the jars, I attach them with ribbon or old shoelace.

To do this yourself, first drill holes through the center of the lid and through the side of the jar, near the top, with a 1/8″ drill bit. Then thread about 12″ of ribbon through, knotting it inside the lid and inside the jar.

Now you have a storage jar with an impossible-to-lose lid! Hang your jars from hooks, set on shelves, or throw in drawers.

So What’s For Dinner?

Dinner is often the most exciting meal of the day. Breakfast fuels up our engines to get us going in the morning. Lunch is there to hold us over and dinner, well dinner is what it’s all about! Dinner is the time everyone convenes around the table and discusses how his or her day went. We’re glad to be home from work or happy that the kids will be in bed soon so we can get a little “me time”. And who cares if the dinner dishes sit until the morning? No big deal. Take the stress out of this wondrous daily event with a little organization and planning. A friend once told me to know what you are going to make for dinner by noon that day, even if you’re going to eat out or get food delivered. Great advice. Some Moms (or Dads) are very organized and have a weekly or even monthly menu planned out. If you’re not wired that way, just try the daily method. When you go to the supermarket, stock up on meat sales and freeze it when you get home. That way you always have a main dish on hand. It’s also wise to stock up on cans of fruits and veggies as side dishes and dinner rolls are easy and fast to make. Or you can just skip the extra carbs. Find out when everyone is going to be home for dinner and then subtract the cooking time of the item that takes the longest. Plan to start dinner then. Don’t forget the extra time it takes for the oven to preheat or a pot of water to boil. And if you are craving carbs, they take time to prep and bake as well. Know all of these things well in advance of dinner time. Have one of the kids set the table, serve it all up, and bon appetit!

Regain Childhood for Your Children

Anne R. Pierce, author of Ships without a Shore: America’s Undernurtured Children made a guest post at BusyMomsOnline.com on the current state of childhood. With children being pushed harder and harder to succeed at an early age it’s easy to lose sight of what it means to actually be a child. Her article helps put things back into perspective.

We have become unsympathetic to exhaustion, vexation, and demoralization, seeing them as necessary corollaries to high achievement. ”Come on you can do it” parents shout as children “try again” to achieve the perfect pitch of the ball, the perfect ballet pose, the perfect runner’s mile, the perfect musical performance. Thus, we are taken by surprise when success strategies backfire; when, instead of gaining momentum, children and teenagers lose energy, motivation and enthusiasm. But, this end result simply makes sense. For, it takes freedom to be creative, time to be a thinker, and opportunities for independence to become inspired. Moreover, when we emphasize outward displays of accomplishment over children’s actual moral and intellectual advancement, children feel a void.

Don’t Pay For What You Can Do Yourself

A lot of people needlessly pay “professionals” to do things they could do themselves for free. In today’s shaky economy, wasting money in this way is foolish and impractical. When you come across a situation in life that you think you need to call someone to “fix” for you, do a little research to see if it’s something you would feel comfortable doing yourself. Examples of things you can do yourself at no cost are haircuts and color, housecleaning, oil changes, yard work and landscaping, pest extermination, minor home repairs and improvements, and home decorating. You can also commit to learn valuable skills that can help you cut costs like sewing, light carpentry, cooking, baking, auto care, and computer repair. If you don’t have these skills and have no desire or time to learn them, ask around to see if any of your friends or family members do possess them. Offer to do a favor for him or her in exchange for them helping you out. While it’s great to trust yourself to do some things on your own, there are certain situations where a professional should be contacted. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, medical problems, etc are all best left to the experts.

Refresh Your Decor

Are you bored with the way your house looks? Is everything just collecting dust and getting old? Are you finding excuses to get out of the house just so you don’t have to look at your dreary decor anymore? Fear not. You can refresh the interior of your house very easily and quickly. What’s even better is that you can do it for free! If you want to be extra ambitious, buy new paint, but you don’t have to pay a penny to give your house a whole new look. Start by editing your rooms by deciding what you’re really sick of looking at and store the items. Try configuring furniture into a new arrangement in the rooms you want to refresh. Once you find one that works for you, take decorative items from other areas of your house, or from storage, and accessorize your rooms. If you don’t mind spending a few bucks on this transformation, purchase new or used decorative pillows and throws to add pops of color around the room. If you’re crafty, you can make these items using some favorite fabric. Finish off your new look by taking a walk around your house and collecting beautiful items from nature such as autumn leaves, unique twigs, or fresh seasonal flowers to drop into a vase. Free, easy, and fun!

Refresh your School Routine

With Spring Break just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take stock of those school routines which may have become just a little sloppy. The Moms’ Buzz has 6 tips to getting your household back on track.

Create Calendar & File Central — Set up an area with a large calendar so everyone in your family can see everyone else’s plans for that month. For added organization, color-code each family member and keep colored markers nearby so everyone can easily mark plans. Nearby, set up file bins marked “To be Signed,” “From School,” and “To School,” so your child can deposit papers you need to see in a regular place right after school and pick up things to go “To School” each morning.

Exercise By Doing Chores

You have to clean your house anyway right? And the yard is covered with a blanket of rotting leaves? Why waste time and money walking nowhere on a treadmill at the gym for an hour when you can burn calories and be productive at the same time? Bust out that rake and lose some weight. It only takes 20 minutes of raking to burn 100 calories for a woman who weighs around 150 pounds! Running around after your children all day no longer has to be an exercise in frustration but rather it’s an exercise of calorie-busting! As great as this information is to have, you also have to adjust your diet if you’re serious about losing weight. Check in with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough to embark on exercise and calorie reduction in your diet. Have your doctor give you a daily caloric intake target to aim for and learn the art of counting calories. Search online for calorie-counting and calorie-burning tools to help you to meet your goals.

DIY: Glow in the Dark Printer Ink

I read this DIY tip and thought to myself, “Now why in the world would I want glow in the dark printer ink?” But once I tried it I found endless possibilities. Halloween decorations were an instant thought, but they’re also great for summer evening decorations. Print out some fairy pics in glow in the dark ink and then hang them around the garden for a girls slumber party or rocket ships and comets for a meteor shower party. Thanks to D3scene.com for this handy tip!

Step 1
Find some glow-in-the-dark powder. Look in the craft section of retail stores or in specialty craft stores. Halloween costume shops might also be a good source. You can also order glow-in-the-dark powder online from manufacturers like Ready Set Glo.

Step 2
Buy an ink refill kit. You can do this with color or black-and-white ink cartridges. Purchase an ink refill kit that is compatible with your printer.

Step 3
Place 1/4 tsp. of glow-in-the-dark powder in a microwave-safe bowl or container.

Step 4
Mix 3 tsp. of the printer ink with the glow-in-the-dark powder.

Step 5
Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds to dissolve the glow-in-the-dark powder. Stir it well after you take it out of the microwave and let it cool for a few minutes.

Step 6
Use a syringe to suck up the ink mixture and apply it to the refill holes on your empty ink jet cartridge. The refill holes may be under the label of the cartridge or you may have to remove the plastic cap. Check the instructions for your ink cartridge to find the refill holes.

Step 7
Insert the ink cartridge in your printer, run the cleaning cycle a few times and print out a test document. You must let the glow-in-the-dark ink charge in the light for a little bit before it will show up. Turn out the lights and admire your handiwork.

Reduce Glare in Veggie Photos

I know. You’re probably thinking to yourself why am I taking photos of vegetables? These tips are geared towards taking pictures of your children while they’re in a pumpkin patch, but they are easily applied to other shiny surfaces - including eggplants! Denise at the Blog Her Network has the following to say about photographing shiny veggies:

It all comes down to one thing… resist the flash!

Use Canned Email Responses to Boost Productivity

The folks at Gmail have done it again: an incredibly useful email hack. This one lets you send quick thank you notes, away from the office messages, it can even be set up as a personalized autoresponder for your blog. Read the article at the Official Gmail blog to find some more tips like the one below to improve your email productivity.

Create filters for your email based on certain words. Turn on Canned Responses and the filter can automatically generate a response based on the words it finds.

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