tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40922472395769276572024-02-18T22:07:31.108-08:00 Fun Day at a TimeA look at things going on in my life and how I take it just "fun day at a time". Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-973655763829596922014-06-02T07:28:00.000-07:002014-06-25T20:35:53.168-07:00Talk to your kids<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I know this seems like a no brainer, but I think we all get caught up in life and forget that it's the simple things that are most important and have the biggest impact. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZvXf1HmQhGK6WyU6SK4KvAx1afiWA-5egj0So3nAS_UbfgtH4wwZixyTNxhWYyuLwFKpm45DG4DaAPx0SGEXliNzSdScxsBfPKOonObrTD1vIMZoZowzwV-6cjSHQVHsdnl4zq9HD8Y/s1600/listen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZvXf1HmQhGK6WyU6SK4KvAx1afiWA-5egj0So3nAS_UbfgtH4wwZixyTNxhWYyuLwFKpm45DG4DaAPx0SGEXliNzSdScxsBfPKOonObrTD1vIMZoZowzwV-6cjSHQVHsdnl4zq9HD8Y/s1600/listen.jpg" height="320" width="229"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">One of the most important things you can do in a day is talk, or better said, listen to your kids. One of my favorite quotes is, "Listen to them while they're small, and they'll talk to you when they're tall." I have found this to be VERY true. My oldest child loved Pokemon when he was younger, <strike>a phase I'm glad didn't last too long</strike>. I spent hours hearing about all the different cards and what each one did. I may or may not have zoned out more than once while hearing all about the latest Pokemon battle between he and some friends - I'll be honest, I didn't like listening to him talk about Pokémon or about Star Wars for that matter! At one point I really thought I was wasting my time listening to him "ramble". I was very wrong! As I listened to him talk about Pokémon something else happened too.......</span><a name="more"></a><br>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> I also heard about what was being said and done between friends, and his take on different situations. It gave me a chance to be on his level and to discuss things. Have you had conversations where there has been plenty of dosing off on <em>their</em> part? The ones that are all about things you are interested in. Mine seemed to always be about getting their chores done, being nicer to brothers and sisters, homework, friends...you get the drift. It was like a switch in their brain turned off as I started talking. So....while you're in a discussion they're actually listening to (pokemon), now is the time to (carefully) make comments that they will hear. Maybe a comment about how you hope they remember how they felt when they were treated a certain way, whether it's bad or good, so when they're in that situation they'll know how to act. Don't go off on a tangent, just simple comments so they'll want to come tell you things again. When you're talking about things that they are interested in, they are listening!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">When my older kids were young, my husband and I would take turns tucking different kids in at night. It would always involve hearing what happened in their day. They told us one thing that made them sad, three things that made them happy and one thing they did for someone else. If we had two kids sharing a room, they knew it was ways an option for one of them to go to our room so they had (private) one on one time. We always ended by singing a few songs (song my mom and dad sang to me at bedtime, some of my best childhood memories) and listening to prayers. As the kids got older, schedules got more involved for them and for us. Our bedtime routine slowly got dropped out of our schedule because #1 our lives were getting crazier, and #2 I was exhausted by bedtime. The night usually ended with us saying family prayers and telling the kids to please hurry and get in bed. One child it seemed, would always end up getting told, "If I see your face one more time before the sun is up, you're going to be sorry!" I later read that the last thing you hear at night before you go to bed you actually hear in your mind over 100 times- mother of the year award right here!!! As weeks turned into months, I realized how much I missed that time with my kids. I talked to my kids about it and found out that they really missed it too. Yes, even my 18 year old son! We were going to make this work! Pathetic I know, but we actually had to make up a schedule of who gets tucked in by which parent. Unfortunatly, the option of each kid getting this nightly isn't available right now. So instead, each child gets one night with mom and one with dad each week. On their off nights it's just a hug and a kiss (unless they request one on one time because something is going on they need to talk about). We went through and figured out which nights worked best with each child. Wednesday night is activity night at church for my three teenagers. By the time they get home, finish up any last minute things on their homework and get ready for bed, they get a hug and a kiss goodnight. So that makes it the younger two's turns. We just went day by day and figured out a schedule that worked for us. It even got written on the calendar so we wouldn't forget! It's AMAZING the things I have learned while laying on the floor of a child's room in the dark. They will tell you things there that they won't tell you any other time. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Bedtime is a GREAT time to talk, but you're kids need to know that you're ALWAYS available to them. So....what happens when <strike>you feel like</strike> you don't have time to talk???</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">There were (& still are) many times when I've had a child who wants to talk when I didn't have time right then. I learned early on, when they're ready to talk, you have to be ready to listen. If they can't talk to you, they'll find someone else to talk to and they may not be giving advice you'll like. If I'm just running an errand and they can ride with me I'll take them along. If I'm heading somewhere but they can't come, I'll have them call me on my cell so we can talk while I drive. If I'm just at home but have stuff I need to do I'll have them follow me around the house & help me as we talk. I've heard many interesting things while pulling clothes out of the dryer, or putting clean sheets on the bed (& they've learned new skills while they were talking). Then there are the times that you're not at home and can't be reached by phone, that's when your "notebook" comes in to play. Each child has a notebook with their name on it. At times when you're not available, or maybe they need to talk to you about something and are nervous about it. They write in their notebook and leave it in a place you chosen (ours is on my bed). Then when I have a minute, usually before bed, I read what they wrote and write back to them. When my 18 year old was in second grade he had a notebook that we would write back and forth to each other in, working on his writing skills. I noticed right then it was doing a lot more than just improving writing. Think about your friends, how do you get closer to them? By talking and confiding in each other. You do have to be careful to not let it turn into a gripe session of you telling them what to do. Listening should be happening more than talking. A lot of time they don't really need a problem solved, just someone to listen & be excited, sad, happy (or whatever else) with. I have been a sounding board a lot lately, adding tips here and there when I felt I could get away with it. Kids are just like husbands, if they think it's their idea, it's always a great idea. So, put hints and ideas out and let them figure it out. Whatever you do, make sure what is said is kept in confidence. They won't be open and honest with you if they think you're going to turn around and tell someone else. I remember getting "caught" telling my friend what I thought was just a cute story my daughter had told me. I got a death glare and the silent treatment the rest of the day. It took me months to gain her trust back. So before you share an experience that isn't yours, make sure you have permission. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Another time besides bedtime I hate to miss out on is as they're coming in the door from being somewhere. Whether it's school, work, a date, hanging with friends, whatever. 99% of the time as my kids walk in the door the first word out of their mouth is "MOM!" I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way! They are usually ready and egar to talk as soon as they get home and if I'm not there I miss it (this is where cell phones or the notebook come in to play also). I am very lucky to have a schedule that allows me to be here when they leave for school and get to be here when they return most days. This is a listening time for you! You may need to ask a few questions to get them talking, and it may not come easy at first, but don't give up! Don't ask, "How was your day?" unless you want to hear, "Fine". Ask a question that will spark conversation, "What did you do at recess today?" or "What did you do in your choir class today." If you ask a question that can be answered in one or two words, more than likely that's what you'll get. If you ask a question that requires actual conversation and they know that you really care, you'll get conversation (this won't happen all at once, don't give up). I want my kids to come to my hubby and I. Whether it's good/bad happy/sad, I chose to be a mom for a reason and I want a close relationship with my kids. This doesn't just happen! It takes work, lots of work. But anything worth having doesn't come easy! Actions speak louder than words...so go show them you love them and that you want a relationship with them!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">What are you waiting for, get off your computer and go talk to your kids!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>****Update June 25, 2014 <br>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span>I spoke way too soon....I have bookend boys and my youngest just got into Pokemon! Lucky for me ALL the Pokemon cartoons are on Netflix! </div>
<div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-15398604672147633802014-05-22T10:42:00.000-07:002014-05-22T10:42:07.642-07:00Graduation Gift<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">"I can't believe I'm old enough to have a child graduating from high school!" Those are words I've heard come out of many peoples mouths but never thought it was that big of a deal...until I'm the one that's old enough to have a child graduate from high school! Along with my own child graduating, he also has lots of friends graduating....friends he wants to give gifts to. So, I decided to put together a simple yet cute gift. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9UCPhNEddja2oTiXODJVAo9eQ6w8SSptD0B9J_p10V2qtZ3-Y0y5J9TakCRZsjrW8NKkpbuYa8Ehyphenhyphen_775Yd1Q9SQWkwcUJ4D4LtSR2cockhujTLlUBkPf-aYhPxaG9nVgUCVh6XR9zA/s1600/IMG_4997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9UCPhNEddja2oTiXODJVAo9eQ6w8SSptD0B9J_p10V2qtZ3-Y0y5J9TakCRZsjrW8NKkpbuYa8Ehyphenhyphen_775Yd1Q9SQWkwcUJ4D4LtSR2cockhujTLlUBkPf-aYhPxaG9nVgUCVh6XR9zA/s1600/IMG_4997.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Dr Suess always says it best, right?! This can be as cheap as the candy bar and paper, or tuck some cash or a gift card inside. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMdTJKQvUvY4oV3a0Um_WgdAm7jHjvpUXRrPeRsrzFQ5TEd4plNSs6yf-RbI3rNBRx72LY_PxfltE4nnFmDImgqZvehohvkB2cWoxaDYR5yVVY88Q6imfuyWDV5FAWZXRXvMyrUHW1xI/s1600/IMG_5007%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMdTJKQvUvY4oV3a0Um_WgdAm7jHjvpUXRrPeRsrzFQ5TEd4plNSs6yf-RbI3rNBRx72LY_PxfltE4nnFmDImgqZvehohvkB2cWoxaDYR5yVVY88Q6imfuyWDV5FAWZXRXvMyrUHW1xI/s1600/IMG_5007%5B1%5D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I started out with an XL symphony candy bar. I wrapped a piece of white paper around it and taped it on. I used our school colors and added a pattern strip of paper that I wrapped around and taped also. Next I cut out the poem and backed it in maroon cardstock and placed it over the patterned strip. I found some fun sparkly yarn that I wrapped around the remaining white paper and then added this fun graduation cap. I had some paper with our school name on it that added a fun touch. I didn't have enough for all 20 I needed though, so I added a PVHS to make it fun. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I cut the graduation cap out on my Cricut Explore. I love how you can buy 1 image instead of purchasing a whole cartridge! I only cut out these two pieces and then snipped the tassel off so I could add my own.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1lDOQFftefmZii508AD8pYMzEW9pvS8p9XZmC-kmgJibkryJf_a1RkzVQdZt05xIBJRGC6fd4PQQxazwaX_7BJ16l0OsDacEYiAXZXNrWDNlb40pkl0YXAejkACZQVwm-Da6ubn4l6Y/s1600/IMG_4984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1lDOQFftefmZii508AD8pYMzEW9pvS8p9XZmC-kmgJibkryJf_a1RkzVQdZt05xIBJRGC6fd4PQQxazwaX_7BJ16l0OsDacEYiAXZXNrWDNlb40pkl0YXAejkACZQVwm-Da6ubn4l6Y/s1600/IMG_4984.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">For my tassel (which I think makes the whole hat), I used embroidery floss. I was able to get 6-7 tassels per skein of floss. I wrapped the floss around my fingers five or six times and then left a long tail.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEvSgppQPekiKW6_MWx4v1xLlFHW257-x-aBjMbfOxs6NRgTo3guWJ3dvhFsKTdPA9dIQ4T5aOY5rX_lsrgYqaXpEJ22EccjPpBZn96D8YGzmuddny22lQyG21n4aWEW_ECzmxHOYt48/s1600/IMG_4988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEvSgppQPekiKW6_MWx4v1xLlFHW257-x-aBjMbfOxs6NRgTo3guWJ3dvhFsKTdPA9dIQ4T5aOY5rX_lsrgYqaXpEJ22EccjPpBZn96D8YGzmuddny22lQyG21n4aWEW_ECzmxHOYt48/s1600/IMG_4988.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4LJPV4d3ZjdN_OP4aGXNdhLK_fOMFMAFQAWv0pikay04rKZzX2BXo_J1Ts5Nx401qZOHUAb6SOIkRxb0OmIemcc4oVVYKS5wcrOfhznHqFcG0xi8lm9ZiH0rXBxmtTYds5FnP7P3_uM/s1600/IMG_4974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4LJPV4d3ZjdN_OP4aGXNdhLK_fOMFMAFQAWv0pikay04rKZzX2BXo_J1Ts5Nx401qZOHUAb6SOIkRxb0OmIemcc4oVVYKS5wcrOfhznHqFcG0xi8lm9ZiH0rXBxmtTYds5FnP7P3_uM/s1600/IMG_4974.JPG" height="320" width="212" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I then wrapped the tail around one end a few times to make it look like a knot, and then tied it off leaving a short tail to attach to the hat. Snip off the ends and it's good to go. I attached the two pieces with a puffy glue dot to give it dimension. I love how they turned out!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxX2BbNnmDAM77ElIoen-SwCPWhFROgm9A_j9kWYCAjC6nbIU6IY6pSLQI48jgohyphenhyphenDRkKc4DbxEWJQcgGwRGJTEkHYuKitztx4XT5ljuY-gAtznFf_GVi2A6kJQkowwasjC92xIc-nEI/s1600/IMG_5009%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxX2BbNnmDAM77ElIoen-SwCPWhFROgm9A_j9kWYCAjC6nbIU6IY6pSLQI48jgohyphenhyphenDRkKc4DbxEWJQcgGwRGJTEkHYuKitztx4XT5ljuY-gAtznFf_GVi2A6kJQkowwasjC92xIc-nEI/s1600/IMG_5009%255B1%255D.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"> <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfdnRwSzBwbWtEQTQ/edit?usp=sharing">Click here for poem</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">Pull out all those scrap pieces of paper and turn them into a stinkin' cute grad gift!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;">Happy Summer! Let the pool sitting, bon bon eating, lemonade drinking begin...I'm ready!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-92217968698623798312014-05-05T19:29:00.000-07:002014-05-05T19:34:18.465-07:00Strawberry Tapioca Salad<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">We spent the past 5 days in Southern California, visiting Disneyland and the beach. My </span><a href="http://www.fundayatatime.com/2013/04/what-are-todays-tasks-just-taking.html"><span style="font-size: large;">today's task</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> list has been well used while I have been doing laundry and getting my house put back in order. Why is it that you need a day of vacation to recover from your vacation!? Dinner was in the back of my mind when my friend called and reminded me of our neighborhood block party. I had totally forgotten about it, but was excited that all I had to do for dinner was make a salad to take to the party. Strawberries are in season right now, so I decided on this yummy salad. I have a few different salads that are my go to. You know the type, easy and everyone asks for the recipe because they are so good, this is one of those. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTr9bOmzXhnCABP4BGa6yY96jpmhZmloIUxuLRPRo4BA_ankIfjpA1ps0pcE3bd4edzgNKSu_WZvHpm3UTdLgn0ElO5C-mF_-OWdmRNfY1KgZcAzK67sc1ObadGkzitW3av99LCiuAXZ4/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTr9bOmzXhnCABP4BGa6yY96jpmhZmloIUxuLRPRo4BA_ankIfjpA1ps0pcE3bd4edzgNKSu_WZvHpm3UTdLgn0ElO5C-mF_-OWdmRNfY1KgZcAzK67sc1ObadGkzitW3av99LCiuAXZ4/s1600/IMG_4972.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">We actually call this "Peach Salad" at our house. Then depending on which fruit it has in it we say, "Peach Salad with Strawberries". Confusing I know...the first time we had it was with peaches, and the name peach salad stuck. The thing that's so great about this salad is that it is very versatile as to which flavor it is. My absolute favorite is peach loaded with fresh peaches...YUM! But, since it's not peach season, today it's strawberry salad. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">This is a salad that needs to be made early so it has time to cool and thicken. It can also be doubled easily for a large crowd (that's what I'm doing today). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNLRmmw9AFH_S8bh0CUD9Au1N8cI4SIwtGoizl5t654R5Sw3NhlO9Dd-6VszqQzNKwuEVKZO2856hLvBoFD8h5Zn07loRlrqPh55L9jah_XJ_cA0dORV7fZxsIer2RIJtlE1OX-ZfndY/s1600/IMG_4964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNLRmmw9AFH_S8bh0CUD9Au1N8cI4SIwtGoizl5t654R5Sw3NhlO9Dd-6VszqQzNKwuEVKZO2856hLvBoFD8h5Zn07loRlrqPh55L9jah_XJ_cA0dORV7fZxsIer2RIJtlE1OX-ZfndY/s1600/IMG_4964.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">In microwave bowl or sauce pan mix and bring to a boil</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1 small pkg of INSTANT vanilla pudding</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1 small pkg of tapioca pudding</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1 small pkg of jello - any flavor (strawberry for me today)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">3 cups of cold water </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I cook min in the microwave in 2 min increments, whisking well in between. It usually takes about 10 min for it to come to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, place in the fridge till cool and thickened. This will take a few hours. I try to make this the night before, or first thing in the morning if it's for dinner. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">After it has cooled,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Fold in an 8 oz container of cool whip and mix until combined </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Add fruit of choice (lots of fresh sliced strawberries) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">It is so simple and so yummy! Add a piece of grilled meat and a veggie and it's the perfect summer meal. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Our favorite combinations are; peach jello with peaches, strawberry jello with strawberries, orange jello with mandarin oranges. If I know it will all get eaten (because it doesn't save well) I like to add bananas to the strawberry and orange salads, but make sure you add them right before you serve so they don't brown. I make this salad year round and use bottled fruit when fresh isn't available and it's still a big hit!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-79611099545610832072014-04-25T19:33:00.000-07:002014-05-05T21:17:45.323-07:00Laundry Instruction Sheets<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Two years ago I put my back out and was down for almost a month. It was a long hard month (especially because my hubby was working out of town). Luckily for me I had a teenage driver that ran everyone around and kept milk in the fridge, teenage girls that kept the house going and watched the younger ones, and meals in the freezer so we didn't have to eat Mac and Cheese every night. My family and friends were also great to help out! During this time I realized that there were some areas I hadn't taught my kids enough. One of these areas was doing laundry. I'm kind of fanatical about my laundry and up until hurting my back, I was the only one allowed to do laundry. I know....dumb! My hubby had<strike> ruined too many of my clothes at the first of our marriage</strike> won thru incompetence and I had banned him from the laundry (there are many things he does GREAT in the house - laundry just isn't one of them). In order to help them, I made detailed instruction sheets for the different loads of laundry they would be doing. I later framed these and hung them by the washer. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniu9OQDdzG1AXTQiOvIKQaHuqZkX4Kj8E2plxRfo1A3Dz3SDGT-jg2vO-g1HlSY6z3An62oP613cCdfKELMlkY8qkRxwykal90CRU0r0wjx_-tPwUF_iVw8R4cTCQD6FoeBm1dVRSytY/s1600/IMG_4932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniu9OQDdzG1AXTQiOvIKQaHuqZkX4Kj8E2plxRfo1A3Dz3SDGT-jg2vO-g1HlSY6z3An62oP613cCdfKELMlkY8qkRxwykal90CRU0r0wjx_-tPwUF_iVw8R4cTCQD6FoeBm1dVRSytY/s1600/IMG_4932.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> After dealing with back pain (two herniated discs) for 18 months, the past 3 months I have been pain free - I forgot how nice it was to not have back pain. Well, it all ended last week. Not sure what I did, but I've been down for the past 10 days. Everything has gone back on my kids and luckily my hubby this time too! My older kids have been doing some of their own laundry the past 2 years but usually just their own. My mom came over to help do some laundry and asked if she could just follow the instructions on the wall (not that she doesn't know how to do laundry, just wanting it to be how I like it). Oops....we got a new washer last year and none of the instructions are right. So after trying to walk her through step by step, (I also decided I'm picky about laundry - no wonder I do most of it) I decided I needed to update my instruction sheets. Unless you make your own </span><a href="http://www.fundayatatime.com/2013/06/my-favorite-homemade-laundry-soap.html"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">homemade dry laundry soap</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://www.fundayatatime.com/2013/09/liquid-laundry-soap.html"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">homemade liquid laundry soap</span></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> and have the same washer as me, these instructions probably won't work exactly for you, but it may give you an idea. My 11 year old has been asking to help with laundry lately (you know how everyone else's jobs look funner than your own). I was planning on having her help out this summer so I could walk her through stuff...but it looks like it's going to be sooner than I thought. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV42pa9bx-zRk0D-aA_eL-YadKCI6_wBCjFXOHClI0FeZkCsMP9O87uAmfjAqU8Mp7_Beu5lyJsR37ZLjiF7YAg7-0GKVJzxLv115FDHZDe-EDZO0CIoirDLT1zletwJXDIlNgCMa5-SU/s1600/laundry+-+lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV42pa9bx-zRk0D-aA_eL-YadKCI6_wBCjFXOHClI0FeZkCsMP9O87uAmfjAqU8Mp7_Beu5lyJsR37ZLjiF7YAg7-0GKVJzxLv115FDHZDe-EDZO0CIoirDLT1zletwJXDIlNgCMa5-SU/s1600/laundry+-+lights.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35syBNhdS_Y7KE4Ar9r1D-f4ciGm5ghNbijXRPVzS__M4mQ-UTKTgIvZPyN39B6QRTWaDDOe_tOXQaREpAOuHxV2KQOdW8dvC-0yu6pf6lFNJqGIygUv_2D5MuyhijtXADFCjdrtDzag/s1600/laundry+-+darks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35syBNhdS_Y7KE4Ar9r1D-f4ciGm5ghNbijXRPVzS__M4mQ-UTKTgIvZPyN39B6QRTWaDDOe_tOXQaREpAOuHxV2KQOdW8dvC-0yu6pf6lFNJqGIygUv_2D5MuyhijtXADFCjdrtDzag/s1600/laundry+-+darks.jpg" height="200" width="167" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnpbOBSLKAN0G_QO7bh4ufkG40-mXPQlnimsuYGOkMa2fzcvrB-cDg6eZgBbJ-DW4kh8ct0A_tANXjY50ZCI3VamfJbXlhXpXe0RI2YKDFqcDyrVhHPYeNYmLvOI7jZCjidbVFsvMcx4/s1600/laundry+-+jeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnpbOBSLKAN0G_QO7bh4ufkG40-mXPQlnimsuYGOkMa2fzcvrB-cDg6eZgBbJ-DW4kh8ct0A_tANXjY50ZCI3VamfJbXlhXpXe0RI2YKDFqcDyrVhHPYeNYmLvOI7jZCjidbVFsvMcx4/s1600/laundry+-+jeans.jpg" height="200" width="157" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dCYnb_MKX-uQISVf2I7sFN_ucZmYj76NG44FylHr74hBnpgDkhKb84h_1bbSqKUA7IBKVmZg5rZziTvJZ8CsS7WECzgnYfYiTsQTKpcJNcBN1m0cbCCbGtCvBAptmS1wDIS8tVxZHj8/s1600/laundry+-+whites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dCYnb_MKX-uQISVf2I7sFN_ucZmYj76NG44FylHr74hBnpgDkhKb84h_1bbSqKUA7IBKVmZg5rZziTvJZ8CsS7WECzgnYfYiTsQTKpcJNcBN1m0cbCCbGtCvBAptmS1wDIS8tVxZHj8/s1600/laundry+-+whites.jpg" height="200" width="138" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CJhhF6YIfy2Kv72Z7FBastrqNDgkJpXS8rA5OOGAd_SGCRPqP48sK71c3GsYdndNp90C__qM3aV5SJ1sgKkTpgeR9s1EjfEDfqyti_oCS8OS6XQY4dI2UIa-eZI81QOnGYaj9VeWA64/s1600/laundry+-+towels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6CJhhF6YIfy2Kv72Z7FBastrqNDgkJpXS8rA5OOGAd_SGCRPqP48sK71c3GsYdndNp90C__qM3aV5SJ1sgKkTpgeR9s1EjfEDfqyti_oCS8OS6XQY4dI2UIa-eZI81QOnGYaj9VeWA64/s1600/laundry+-+towels.jpg" height="200" width="171" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I do my laundry in many different loads. My mom is fanatical about laundry (more so than me), and I remember her being so appalled when my brothers friend said he did all of his laundry together. He didn't see what the big deal was, pretty soon everything matched! I do darks, lights, towels/sheets, jeans, cleaning rags (microfiber cloths-no fabric softener), and whites are separated into 3 different loads, socks, baseball pants and all others. I pre-soak all the white socks in Oxy Clean overnight, and then wash with bleach. My youngest plays on a little league team and a tournament/travel team. For some reason the boys think it's really cool to slide and end up with the dirtiest pants... I live in Southern Utah and the red dirt is crazy to get out.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaZWQR0m-9-V7OfGI9McKGWbiJI6siuLfzwNW0_if6g5eRT_sMaqU-1FFqNariS-Oh2GtXrm1apTycBnviQbzsHXtpEX0dMcwX3zeNb-zoKHNNyOy9XpLDlQoEELMuYIH9IDQUfINHD4/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaZWQR0m-9-V7OfGI9McKGWbiJI6siuLfzwNW0_if6g5eRT_sMaqU-1FFqNariS-Oh2GtXrm1apTycBnviQbzsHXtpEX0dMcwX3zeNb-zoKHNNyOy9XpLDlQoEELMuYIH9IDQUfINHD4/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Dirt and White Baseball Pants Don't Mix!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I used to soak and scrub, soak and scrub, and then a little more soaking and scrubbing (or beg him to wear black baseball pants - with not much luck, they're much hotter). </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMZog9yGz17CsVL2z5D7ZicgiHNkjUqn4LUGeVgsOdt0LiBXplu0mBxWX_MIG759TPlBAWz186RnlIje24jt8OyV2J80rFYlnVvn4xfaBhANIEmr2iV7a-RvlrbJmy2Vw8wO_pua3QNo/s1600/IMG_4934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMZog9yGz17CsVL2z5D7ZicgiHNkjUqn4LUGeVgsOdt0LiBXplu0mBxWX_MIG759TPlBAWz186RnlIje24jt8OyV2J80rFYlnVvn4xfaBhANIEmr2iV7a-RvlrbJmy2Vw8wO_pua3QNo/s1600/IMG_4934.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Of course the one time I want him to get really dirty, he doesn't even slide.</span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcqMiG3CyWfK0-Nk3vG_mNtO01Z4iV3hSsEfgU_5S51SzgZ2NJWXNrN1WMwC5y2uDCsXVv3sk1q9CR8rSikn6kbS74er41oUJuaYAUoiPcA9uD9g3WUCWT4I0e1grbw6gNGAZs7u_gu4/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcqMiG3CyWfK0-Nk3vG_mNtO01Z4iV3hSsEfgU_5S51SzgZ2NJWXNrN1WMwC5y2uDCsXVv3sk1q9CR8rSikn6kbS74er41oUJuaYAUoiPcA9uD9g3WUCWT4I0e1grbw6gNGAZs7u_gu4/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I have since found a great product to get rid of the red dirt & it's so easy too, no scrubbing at all! It's called Iron Out. It's sold in the cleaning products, usually by the toilet cleaners. It's also used to remove rust. I don't know how it works on "normal" dirt, but on Southern Utah's RED dirt it's awesome!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BpTZsGymXmvsnZbj6Veo-0Xplylq3FbgE8eiA9Xi6xvkks9oi5C4Pg1HoHTVqwtZaM0y7EVJZ_hPOWHq9e3bQbIfaH8464fNTfCKHqJ-kVbyliz4L4pvQhPSttuulQIPcxqqcL83EeA/s1600/iron+out+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BpTZsGymXmvsnZbj6Veo-0Xplylq3FbgE8eiA9Xi6xvkks9oi5C4Pg1HoHTVqwtZaM0y7EVJZ_hPOWHq9e3bQbIfaH8464fNTfCKHqJ-kVbyliz4L4pvQhPSttuulQIPcxqqcL83EeA/s1600/iron+out+2.jpg" height="320" width="167" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">I put his pants in a bucket and cover with HOT water and then pour 1 cup of Iron Out powder on them. I let this soak overnight. In the morning I put them in the washer and run them thru a quick wash cycle - Iron Out and bleach don't mix! Then I run them through my normal whites cycle and they are perfectly clean.</span> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgx76a2CzzDGedPoonBkUc-UgHmetU4YXAHeVdv_bqY1Y4H9Phxyc_Q4qi1JTV_QaANFS6nhdpz6GTwhBylvEQhQSoKJTgDt6an19c1rc216DZef2F3YqhDr6c6SgfOczuMOOM6R_emE/s1600/IMG_4938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgx76a2CzzDGedPoonBkUc-UgHmetU4YXAHeVdv_bqY1Y4H9Phxyc_Q4qi1JTV_QaANFS6nhdpz6GTwhBylvEQhQSoKJTgDt6an19c1rc216DZef2F3YqhDr6c6SgfOczuMOOM6R_emE/s1600/IMG_4938.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Without a scrub brush or any elbow grease from me!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxVQ6nc3SgbCPZJclBTFrER9Fzcn7d-FE52ZdczDGVlELLo6uF9OTUuFco-l-bh5egzfSlGG_dlJg0wBDLZHVKSZD2mghIFrRKQSGXXZbwkfO4d1Wr6Oyvv6FHp_HyHWQrsjzvhx_V2E/s1600/IMG_4939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVxVQ6nc3SgbCPZJclBTFrER9Fzcn7d-FE52ZdczDGVlELLo6uF9OTUuFco-l-bh5egzfSlGG_dlJg0wBDLZHVKSZD2mghIFrRKQSGXXZbwkfO4d1Wr6Oyvv6FHp_HyHWQrsjzvhx_V2E/s1600/IMG_4939.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">It will bleach out any stitching, but hasn't bothered the black stripe on his pants. ***FYI-Iron Out is not meant for colors! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">My son had spilled some hot chocolate on his school choir t-shirt and then stuffed it in a drawer. Well, since they only use these a couple times a year, it sat for 4 months before I discovered it. I decided to put it in some iron out and see what happened. His aqua colored shirt, is now purple. Oops! Stick with whites for Iron Out!</span> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-83606466613970419572014-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:002014-04-16T04:39:01.146-07:00How do you spend your time? <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Do you ever have those days where you think you couldn't possibly slam one more thing in, and then you end up having to do three more things! At the end of the day you wonder #1 How you ever survived the day? #2 If you missed anything because you were so busy running around doing everything you're not really sure what you even did? #3 If all of your kids are ok, because you were so busy you didn't even notice? #4 If you had eaten anything all day? and #5 What you can do to make sure you never have a day like this EVER again!!! I feel like my month has been like this! Luckily I've had a couple breaks that have kept me out of the looney bin. When I do have a break and should be cleaning like mad, I'm usually laying in bed <strike>feeling guilty that I'm not up cleaning</strike> enjoying the silence, or reading a book. I was talking to my hubby about it the other day asking him what we can do to slow down a little bit because this is seriously killing me. He suggested we get rid of one or two of our kids and that should help out some. But, since we couldn't agree on which two to get rid of.....Hahaha.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQ8OM9pLwLcBb8XIsDi41kWUHTlGo45ot27y8845P8A6Qr-r7C56mIFGQVSp9BNRnXva1G1Fl40MHf8PRDUAUSwK8v4Wap4hJ4db1hEvfjT6oN9GwhGfJiprCOECAV_w2VklMJQ4RI08/s1600/crazy+mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQ8OM9pLwLcBb8XIsDi41kWUHTlGo45ot27y8845P8A6Qr-r7C56mIFGQVSp9BNRnXva1G1Fl40MHf8PRDUAUSwK8v4Wap4hJ4db1hEvfjT6oN9GwhGfJiprCOECAV_w2VklMJQ4RI08/s1600/crazy+mom.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">How we see ourselves</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Being over stretched is a huge problem for me. I sat behind a cute little two year old at church last week and decided I needed to start acting like one again. There was a word she kept saying that I've apparently forgot, it was the word NO! Now I probably shouldn't say it like a two year old, but I need get the point across none the less. Why is it when someone needs something done they find one of the busiest people and ask them to do it? Maybe because they know somehow it will get done. I have noticed lately though that my quality is going down because the quantity is going up. I'm working more hours, taking on more responsibility, and still having to do everything I did before (and what I had was PLENTY). Just as I was thinking I was going to break and couldn't do it one more second, I had a friend stop by. As we talked I realized it's not just me. As we were talking, she set a timer for herself so she knew when she had to leave to go pick up carpool. As much as I love my timer, I wish it didn't have to be used as to when to stop visiting with a friend. Not that I had the time to just sit there chatting either, but in the end it helped me so much. If nothing else to realize that I'm not the only one feeling like all I do is run, but also to realize that I need time for ME! We only talked for 15 minutes, but it was 15 minutes that I needed. And let's be honest, we mainly talked about our kids and what they were doing, but it was a break from the ordinary. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnnqCvLjmD1hsdNeY1j-IAlWp-Y8PqaCXXigN7xt3-pxv-xc_0m-UYYbaAwkiS0JvZkIhaXmLXjwzI48ZjUn8eKWe7dk_fGV1cal5oepfVZL6idsF7bloNFLs-sazDbIGng3W8UwTo7Q/s1600/juggling_mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnnqCvLjmD1hsdNeY1j-IAlWp-Y8PqaCXXigN7xt3-pxv-xc_0m-UYYbaAwkiS0JvZkIhaXmLXjwzI48ZjUn8eKWe7dk_fGV1cal5oepfVZL6idsF7bloNFLs-sazDbIGng3W8UwTo7Q/s1600/juggling_mother.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">How others see us (haha we wish)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">As I'm writing this I keep thinking of a talk I listened to that really hit me called "Good, Better, Best". I wouldn't say anything I spend my time on is bad, but is it the "Best" thing I could be doing. For example, the 30-45 min a day I spend on Instagram/Facebook could really be spent on something else. I would say that is something "Good" but when I sit back and think about it, most of it is a waste of time. It's pretty pathetic when one of the first things you do in the morning is check instagram/facebook....it's like some amazing discovery was made over night and you have to be the first one to hear about it (hahaha). Obviously not all of your time is going to be spent on the absolute best thing you could be doing - that requires perfection and I don't know about you, but I'm not even close. However, spending 5 min at the end of the day thinking about how you did spend your time helps you as you choose how to spend time in the future, hopefully making it to "Better or Best" instead of just "Good". My <a href="http://www.fundayatatime.com/2013/04/what-are-todays-tasks-just-taking.html">"Today's Tasks"</a> list is one thing that does help me spend my time on the things that are important to me. Yes...I even put things like "Play with your kids" on my list because those are things that are "Best" to me and seem to get pushed out of the way by "Good" things because I think I'll go back to playing with my kids and it just never happens.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUga9iujt-jxXcyasd0Na-_kyhXGbopXurQpdKZX6U61OcIrh82Dz4a84KMiLGTBC6cMj1QrSDKFNIKGrX4Woa1vbfvANjBgZlZPdvl8o2DfUv8AaP-j4gpRIGvF6ZOTupLQef14M5Uo/s1600/when+you+say+yes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUga9iujt-jxXcyasd0Na-_kyhXGbopXurQpdKZX6U61OcIrh82Dz4a84KMiLGTBC6cMj1QrSDKFNIKGrX4Woa1vbfvANjBgZlZPdvl8o2DfUv8AaP-j4gpRIGvF6ZOTupLQef14M5Uo/s1600/when+you+say+yes.jpg" height="320" width="253" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">When my days, let's be honest, weeks/months/years are totally crazy I start to put out the biggest fire, and then just wait for it to be over instead of enjoying it while I'm in the middle of it (I'm REALLY working on this one). Why can't I truly engage and enjoy the dance competition, baseball tournament, school choir concert, etc. while it's happening? Why am I working on (or at least thinking about) the next project while I should be enjoying what I've been spending time getting ready for? Oh ya...because I don't know that word...you know which one...the two year old word. See, I can't even type it let alone say it. That's something else I'm going to work on. I heard a quote and I wish I knew just how it was said and who to give credit to, but basically it said, "Eveytime you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else." Whether that is no to your kids, to your home, to your husband, to sleep, to yourself, to your health, the list goes on and on. You only have so much time in the day. Make sure when you say yes, it's to something that is Best! Maybe the PTA carnival won't have as cute as signs as you could have made. Maybe the birthday treats for preschool are just a plain old twinkie and not a twinkie turned into an adorable minion (that you gave up bedtime stories to make)...you get the idea.</span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-r2u1K__CB-D_muFR0UxD5vtwrFVCD4oSd88GxSIUNio_C5mcYiSzkHJRAw9HyFMN58nYhXTHBLtfVBxXuIOGOx9LDELfXqx4_j1vUdlTHSyakIiHfepV3-kMpQiJIqtpDOtKI8s2U-c/s1600/superwoman-cape-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-r2u1K__CB-D_muFR0UxD5vtwrFVCD4oSd88GxSIUNio_C5mcYiSzkHJRAw9HyFMN58nYhXTHBLtfVBxXuIOGOx9LDELfXqx4_j1vUdlTHSyakIiHfepV3-kMpQiJIqtpDOtKI8s2U-c/s1600/superwoman-cape-cartoon.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">All that really matters!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Instead, you can look back and not regret what you did with your time. Your kids will know you really care because you're spending time with them (and isn't it for them we do most of the stuff we do anyways). Commit with me to say no to the "Good" so you we can say yes to the "Best" more often!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strike></strike><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-84839450597670267982014-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:002014-03-03T21:55:03.053-08:00Freezer Strawberry Jam<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A main staple in our house is Strawberry Jam.....it can't be bought from the store though, it has to come out of the freezer </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(put there by me). In fact we were cleaning out and rearranging our storage room and found quite a few bottles of store bought jam. My hubby asked why we still had them, "because even <strike>if they were starving</strike> in an emergency the kids wouldn't eat it!" (he's right). When my nieces and nephews are eating lunch at my house and I ask what they want, they ALWAYS ask, "do you have any of your yummy strawberry jam?" PB&J it is! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So last week when I found strawberries for $5.00 a case I knew what I <strike>thought I</strike> would be doing that day. Luckily strawberries will last for a few days to use for jam, because an hour after I unloaded my strawberries my hubby and I ended up making an unexpected trip to Brianhead. My son had been hurt in a snowboarding accident and I spent the rest of the day at Instacare.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm24QQC1kd579wduHt4wKrDCehQnbGYrrTuw7f-5hv9ciEB6VfWLiMgof9xxu4EIk9D4rj2yyqCNbEMsOiL-t8t7uG5HDIzek1kzEaw537D4cTfwm_X_8wCVKOfrDmoNQLJuJDyfCETfU/s1600/IMG_4823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm24QQC1kd579wduHt4wKrDCehQnbGYrrTuw7f-5hv9ciEB6VfWLiMgof9xxu4EIk9D4rj2yyqCNbEMsOiL-t8t7uG5HDIzek1kzEaw537D4cTfwm_X_8wCVKOfrDmoNQLJuJDyfCETfU/s1600/IMG_4823.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lucky for me it's still cold in my garage, because I didn't have room for 5 cases of strawberries in my fridge. Although at the rate my kids were eating them, I was hoping there would be any left for jam.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Besides Strawberries and Sugar, these are the other 3 ingredients you will need...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4c2EtRe0DGlWej98KhaIP2ws39qSZXUjMs4vai_JqxDJzf18_le_FisneyCz6FI08lEE-wm5VE4BIv-rWBAglC3UX6VBqwqQp6Jm_7c2iGPQ8zF2rsy6T30O4Y7MiGRfnkxvGLdV28Q/s1600/IMG_4833%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4c2EtRe0DGlWej98KhaIP2ws39qSZXUjMs4vai_JqxDJzf18_le_FisneyCz6FI08lEE-wm5VE4BIv-rWBAglC3UX6VBqwqQp6Jm_7c2iGPQ8zF2rsy6T30O4Y7MiGRfnkxvGLdV28Q/s1600/IMG_4833%255B1%255D.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I always buy MCP Pectin. I have only used Sure Jell once, and I wasn't a fan. They are both made by Kraft, but I prefer MCP. The problem with this is that it's getting more difficult to find the MCP. Wal-Mart doesn't carry it and either do some grocery stores. I did find it on clearance in the fall at Albertsons and bought a whole case - they don't carry it anymore. In Utah Harmons, Lins and Maceys all carry it. For me it's worth the drive across town! If you are using Sure Jell, do not follow these directions, follow the directions inside the Sure Jell package. *Sure Jell also has a low or no sugar added pectin</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a recipe right inside the box of pectin along with all directions for other freezer and cooked jams and jellies of all sorts. What is pectin....it's what thickens the fruit into a jam, without it you'd have fruit syrup. Next is Corn Syrup - this helps the sugar to not crystalize. Each batch calls for 1 cup. I know plenty of people who don't use it because they don't want to add the extra sweetener and don't usually have a problem with crystallization. I always add the Corn Syrup. Last is Lemon Juice. It doesn't take much, 1/4 cup per batch. Lemon juice is used to keep the color looking good. There have been many times that I've started making jam at 10:00 at night and have only had a TBSP of lemon juice left in my bottle. I wasn't about to make a grocery run and stay up even later. I've never noticed a difference in taste or color without it (& no one else has ever mentioned it either). If I have it, I put it in. If I don't, I don't worry about it. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So the actual recipe for Strawberry freezer jam using MCP pectin is</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">3 1/4 cups strawberries (mashed or blended)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 box pectin</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/4 cup lemon juice</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 cup corn syrup</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 1/2 cups sugar</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I mean really what's not to love, there's more sugar than fruit!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(My hubby thinks if he's had strawberry jam he can count it as a serving of fruit for the day!)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Along with these ingredients you'll need large bowls for mixing. I like to have 4-6 batches going at once so I need a bowl for each batch. ***Plastic or glass bowls, plastic or glass measuring cups, and plastic or wooden spoons, NO metal it reacts with the pectin*** You'll also need containers to put your finished jam in. I've used pint jars (1/2 pints if I'm giving it away with a loaf of homemade bread), freezer containers, or Ziplock bags. I had a friend who used to save her yogurt cups (with lids) and that's what she froze hers in. My personal preference is Ziplock bags because of the way I can store them. They stack great and I can fit over a years worth of jam in one drawer of my freezer!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To start out wash and hull all strawberries. You will average needing 2 lbs of strawberries per batch of jam (7 cups of jam yielded per batch). Now you have a couple options depending on how you like your jam. Chunky or smooth (kind of like the peanut butter it will be mashed up against). At our house we prefer our strawberry jam smooth (same with out peanut butter). My hubby and I both grew up with our moms hand mashing the strawberries so there were chunks, but lucky for me I get to throw them in the blender. If you do prefer chunky, you can either hand mash them or use a food processor. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> *Chunky definitely takes more time to make</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now when I make jam....I make JAM, so I like to take every shortcut I can to make the process faster. We go through a lot of jam each year. We love it on sandwiches, homemade bread, rolls, biscuits, scones, banana splits. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Any excuse to have some - it's that good! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bber2gPqd8_Jukr5PXHteE9stPJKjBFPURytK2pr9uE0WlqhOGGwRRfaSpUxRfFLD82g9onRfHi3O3e5-GcFbvF5GjZYkI-6VV1Bc_wmtyt8_2SDBCwLM-xsjvoF2YuwfPSMwRPzv-E/s1600/IMG_4821%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-bber2gPqd8_Jukr5PXHteE9stPJKjBFPURytK2pr9uE0WlqhOGGwRRfaSpUxRfFLD82g9onRfHi3O3e5-GcFbvF5GjZYkI-6VV1Bc_wmtyt8_2SDBCwLM-xsjvoF2YuwfPSMwRPzv-E/s1600/IMG_4821%255B1%255D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Prepare your fruit how you like it - mine goes in the blender and I get it pretty smooth (I always leave a little extra in the blender for the next batch to help it blend quicker). After I hull the strawberry it goes straight into the blender. One blender full of whole strawberries turns into 4 cups of pureed strawberries. Leaving me with about 1/2 cup for the next batch. Pour your measured fruit in a large bowl and add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 box of pectin. You will want to add the pectin slowly, while stirring, so it doesn't clump. Once you've added your pectin your fruit mixture needs to sit for 30 min to let the pectin dissolve. As you stir if you see clumps, try to mash them up.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmVBvjAtsCYcsVXvwqLRNSvvNjTN4f_GupTH8xa0FP9tJJLSwX3RYOKfjFGO42egMRhfP2Fgqi2z59M236LZb1coOUuaSAzvuBqp7kK6rHwHU4o0fV6SfPurYW7VvavMyg3ZLfhIs8rI/s1600/IMG_4842%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmVBvjAtsCYcsVXvwqLRNSvvNjTN4f_GupTH8xa0FP9tJJLSwX3RYOKfjFGO42egMRhfP2Fgqi2z59M236LZb1coOUuaSAzvuBqp7kK6rHwHU4o0fV6SfPurYW7VvavMyg3ZLfhIs8rI/s1600/IMG_4842%255B1%255D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since I like to have as many batches as I can going at once, I attach a post it note on each bowl letting me know what time I started that batch. Each batch has to sit for 30 min letting the pectin dissolve in the fruit mixture. Each batch has to be stirred every 5 minutes (helping the pectin dissolve). Having a post it note on the bowl reminds me when I need to stir again. As soon as one batch has the pectin stirred in, I start hulling for the next batch. I'll have 4-8 batches going at a time </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">(depending on if <strike>I can guilt</strike> any of my kids are helping).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIOGvi8HKkViFw8vxaqEc0Al-PT55LQyiTCa0iBe41LUyforSe9FWB4jUJ_eax74z_wY-fDj9iqK8KWWQWxypqQgmrKCa7yIjZsBz5hSsh43EwOEwb_0EoCzP86s2MsCCjG65Qi_J3ic/s1600/IMG_4838%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIOGvi8HKkViFw8vxaqEc0Al-PT55LQyiTCa0iBe41LUyforSe9FWB4jUJ_eax74z_wY-fDj9iqK8KWWQWxypqQgmrKCa7yIjZsBz5hSsh43EwOEwb_0EoCzP86s2MsCCjG65Qi_J3ic/s1600/IMG_4838%255B1%255D.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After the 30 minutes are up the corn syrup is added and stirred well. So, so far the fruit, lemon juice, pectin and corn syrup have been added. You will basically be doubling your ingredients when you add your sugar so make sure your bowl is big enough - and you will need room to stir. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add your sugar and stir stir stir!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQShG18ZW4L4tAdKNC9fA7v7FsTB4M4jbapuTUFfME3lBcVxkEpFhMXysJa_0-qusyz4FiEXkrm0DwoPIMD7Mj4LlGQXE3hdjG160w2DIIC6zgPd8onN-vgFysc4Shwb518ndFzHS8jQ/s1600/IMG_4837%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQShG18ZW4L4tAdKNC9fA7v7FsTB4M4jbapuTUFfME3lBcVxkEpFhMXysJa_0-qusyz4FiEXkrm0DwoPIMD7Mj4LlGQXE3hdjG160w2DIIC6zgPd8onN-vgFysc4Shwb518ndFzHS8jQ/s1600/IMG_4837%255B1%255D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When you first add the sugar your mixture will go a little pink and opaque. As you stir and the sugar dissolves, the mixture will go back to red, and more translucent. I like to stir for a minute and then let it set for a couple minutes. Stir again for a minute, and your ready for your container. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUdtx7nh_10ajj5TuJMWpsg7uDoo2IogUmaTNoCpP7HBCa2Lk0sWLb3ys56pGMkQ2rxuF-ld7ptdsGPmKI4zU14iNlSkn8h0z2kPiZmexknDFww1wLe3aTc8GdSi0zvBp6W0akQIEYdY/s1600/IMG_4843%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUdtx7nh_10ajj5TuJMWpsg7uDoo2IogUmaTNoCpP7HBCa2Lk0sWLb3ys56pGMkQ2rxuF-ld7ptdsGPmKI4zU14iNlSkn8h0z2kPiZmexknDFww1wLe3aTc8GdSi0zvBp6W0akQIEYdY/s1600/IMG_4843%255B1%255D.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I use gallon Ziplock bags, but only put about 2 1/2 cups of jam per bag - I fill three bags per batch of jam. A gallon bag fits perfectly into the bottom drawer of my freezer and they stack much better for me than quart bags.</span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmRgyDsM9Y6mP9c-K9BhITExvKULJ_ejwWQWpKeaomimBTExdClmvNf875zDahDhFr9C_bwO956wx6NC34YzCMJXqX3zo9uMDtXtSiN85qkcCf8q4W9tkGPPU8ZBhCx2LQjTTGNVTWBY/s1600/IMG_4830%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmRgyDsM9Y6mP9c-K9BhITExvKULJ_ejwWQWpKeaomimBTExdClmvNf875zDahDhFr9C_bwO956wx6NC34YzCMJXqX3zo9uMDtXtSiN85qkcCf8q4W9tkGPPU8ZBhCx2LQjTTGNVTWBY/s1600/IMG_4830%255B1%255D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I place my bag over a bowl so I can fill it easier. Make sure as you close the bag you get all the air out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW0r4lkQYn5QUvk_oCrAciYqXn1XeTdcxgDd6m8PCmT6vpOH789EgUSGw7qrp6ecCtMzxZ25lM81msmHSAUcBpU6Y8G_ZVh249azOBzBg1s_tdQIl_4Jc5lEoyV9_ODZcwYwPYL8IAZg/s1600/IMG_4845%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUW0r4lkQYn5QUvk_oCrAciYqXn1XeTdcxgDd6m8PCmT6vpOH789EgUSGw7qrp6ecCtMzxZ25lM81msmHSAUcBpU6Y8G_ZVh249azOBzBg1s_tdQIl_4Jc5lEoyV9_ODZcwYwPYL8IAZg/s1600/IMG_4845%255B1%255D.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As you can see, the bag is flat and stacks great. Looking at this picture reminds me - make sure you add the date so you can rotate properly. After you fill your containers, they will need to set at room temperature for 24 hours before being placed in the freezer. So....while you wait for your jam to set (It starts setting immediately) you'll have time to bake some yummy homemade bread to eat that jam on! (Recipe and tutorial coming soon!)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6IqU6yaOUWF5xfeJHwWkywb0sjwz3oP2QSsfhWLuQsHfmX6JKm5m4jX8_Dvt3ks9oIKVn2ALbScyEx21VrK_NGKT3s3GAUIKI8CPpN7igMsH5L88UspFfzcXvHOkoZzyw0-W-VPS4Qo/s1600/IMG_4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6IqU6yaOUWF5xfeJHwWkywb0sjwz3oP2QSsfhWLuQsHfmX6JKm5m4jX8_Dvt3ks9oIKVn2ALbScyEx21VrK_NGKT3s3GAUIKI8CPpN7igMsH5L88UspFfzcXvHOkoZzyw0-W-VPS4Qo/s1600/IMG_4851.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4kAyT3iU_zddLzvMzpOyxtQGtsQpuEYgs5tH5I2w6jglw05sD6u2lQTiTx7dHQE1hTh7cDIHyYLysufGSjtLjWrKKpZiWqAfw83oppn6xOZBlKOAVzm5Qhol8Qj1ZqKkhRCvxPAtyFQ/s1600/IMG_4850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Homemade bread is always good, but add freezer strawberry jam....even better! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">YUM :)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Tot7a6H79L9oNR2paShdEaJOr7dTdTV_Xo2sL5WgSuwMMuToKOvoTA8sPTi3vfuuOlJZzeVwp65-x5tcSKAmbtra15YJfbAKzfc1EcO0ARpkfFgFw_3xygaivcazxvLaPKG0vzkhEV8/s1600/IMG_4849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">***Side note- It tells you not to double the recipe. Well, when I'm making 10-15 batches of jam, doubling would cut my time down A LOT. So for your benefit (& mine) I decided to try a double batch and see what happened. I made the jam and set it off in it's own place so I could see the difference. My amazing hubby helped me out by cleaning the kitchen and stacked them all together!!! So it was all a waste you say....Nope! Because, I couldn't tell the difference in any of them - I'd say that means it worked! So, if you're making more than one batch of jam and have a huge bowl (I use my Tupperware "that's a bowl") double away!</span> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-82621199881706425872014-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:002014-03-03T22:03:14.591-08:00Pantry Organization <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My pantry was <strike>out of control</strike> in need of a make over. I could clean it all out and in 2 or 3 days it was a mess again. I have a lot of stuff in there, and there just wasn't enough room. See all that stuff in the corners....It would take 5 minutes to get to it by the time I moved everything. As you can see, when it got put away it got shoved somewhere else and things never seem to fit the same going back in. HELP!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I wanted 90% of the stuff in "A space" but only had 40% of my pantry that was "A space". So.....my job was to make more "A space". I called in reinforcement from my better half (doesn't hurt that he's very handy too!).</span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnza3wYN4O2UfcNtsd9MsV-QM3Ez-kXrXKJbWWpYHWlH7aSjWRDIlXODyeOTZBqiNz83qGnjzJCDQPMveikOUNk2SDcdxRumLBjShfv_ugjMb1Up3EgP0LzfhZf7hjlAHBMpIdirc10yI/s1600/dec+1,+2011,+upcycles+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnza3wYN4O2UfcNtsd9MsV-QM3Ez-kXrXKJbWWpYHWlH7aSjWRDIlXODyeOTZBqiNz83qGnjzJCDQPMveikOUNk2SDcdxRumLBjShfv_ugjMb1Up3EgP0LzfhZf7hjlAHBMpIdirc10yI/s1600/dec+1,+2011,+upcycles+002.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My scary thrown in pantry!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Enter the Lazy Susan.....I think it needs a new name....like the Organized Susan!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">After emptying the pantry we had to figure out how big each round could be. For our shelves we went with a scrap piece of plywood - not the prettiest, but it is strong and has held up well. Using a jig saw we <strike>my hubby</strike> cut it into 4 circles. Centered on each shelf you will need to mark and pre-drill 4 anchor spots (before you attach your base to the cupboard....)</span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvajxHs8v2SkYBuNHu76WkU2SKZkXX5sXcZbAmR0Kg5SpRfooeNB2ukiwM7J9kiqfUZy1LkJGtY1qYf_qvRIj3DVceLoEsYFMO-6KnspdLVuliSA58jVInfPcamRWO7LKadCMaXd04wuM/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvajxHs8v2SkYBuNHu76WkU2SKZkXX5sXcZbAmR0Kg5SpRfooeNB2ukiwM7J9kiqfUZy1LkJGtY1qYf_qvRIj3DVceLoEsYFMO-6KnspdLVuliSA58jVInfPcamRWO7LKadCMaXd04wuM/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+011.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted to match and so it will be easier to wipe off</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We attached 4 lazy susan hardware kits. You can find them at any hardware store from $5-$20. Ours were $7 for the smaller two shelves and $10 for the large two.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LFdnxPlRN2qPnB4yuRGF9cGsXgPbqjrgwRqID0TZ5AWVi7YGOeCNgzZf-rYmAgU_MxKPKBnjvvNWD8wIz3LafjfDL3nb2B9zCCOootPO-4YH54-RWcmgQ2upfCp1K1Dd0j27YoW_8JQ/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LFdnxPlRN2qPnB4yuRGF9cGsXgPbqjrgwRqID0TZ5AWVi7YGOeCNgzZf-rYmAgU_MxKPKBnjvvNWD8wIz3LafjfDL3nb2B9zCCOootPO-4YH54-RWcmgQ2upfCp1K1Dd0j27YoW_8JQ/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+005.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> After painting each round, we attached each one to the "organized susan" hardware. Yes, I even attached one to the floor for my 5 gallon buckets of flours and sugar.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZI3hHAYAsVNPxSiDXHG7uN65m068KcKP5OtriR8YHaA1RzIoXeXLzFLix7eF3Wql21RVNPlAHo7Q_kQRe3S-SxAcYfsu3Tll7KhYGbyLvM6jKFIfdA8yY0R7hzNIjUDKXLyIvtsLvTfg/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZI3hHAYAsVNPxSiDXHG7uN65m068KcKP5OtriR8YHaA1RzIoXeXLzFLix7eF3Wql21RVNPlAHo7Q_kQRe3S-SxAcYfsu3Tll7KhYGbyLvM6jKFIfdA8yY0R7hzNIjUDKXLyIvtsLvTfg/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+014.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I also added a few shelves for my spices on the right. I <strike>my hubby</strike> simply cut a few 2x4's to the length I wanted. Against the wall we stacked 2 2x4's and in front of it we used 1 2x4. It gives us 3 shelves and works so well!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Now to use those "organized susans" to get my pantry looking good.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1PJB66cq7OPa7AEGe-R1AY19WRMlgiQEOQrNt2kFvMz1Zx-ZvASMNmVO0rBUVefAvo44f_noaLHwKgZEUH_ZwVHHFtmjm57BNXJncHTJmY1SQ03rjkezP1afxYf7kBqFrQHQEBHqupg/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1PJB66cq7OPa7AEGe-R1AY19WRMlgiQEOQrNt2kFvMz1Zx-ZvASMNmVO0rBUVefAvo44f_noaLHwKgZEUH_ZwVHHFtmjm57BNXJncHTJmY1SQ03rjkezP1afxYf7kBqFrQHQEBHqupg/s1600/dec+1%252C+2011%252C+upcycles+020.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wish I could say my pantry always looks like this.....NOT! But....It has been so much easier to keep organized, and much easier to clean out too. Since this picture I've also added a few more totes. My totes are each labeled so my kids <strike>and hubby</strike> have no excuse that they didn't know where something went. Baking Supplies/Breads/Hot Cereals/Pasta-Rice-Mixes/Chips/Paper Goods</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love how it turned out and it really didn't take me <strike>my hubby</strike> long at all. One afternoon start to finish!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-26933639348570465472013-09-19T12:35:00.000-07:002014-03-03T22:01:34.231-08:00Liquid Laundry Soap<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">I posted about my dry laundry soap, now for the one I started with originally. I remember being very unsure of this when I first made it. How could I make 5 gallons of laundry soap that would actually clean for under $5.00 when I would pay over $50.00 to buy an equal amount of "loads". Just like the dry soap, you don't use near as much soap. I use 1/4 cup (which is actually more than it calls for). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">***Warning, this post has picture overload***</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">So...Let's get started.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">You will need (all found in the laundry detergent isle)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"> 1 bar of fels-Naptha soap</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 cup borax</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 cup arm and hammer washing soda</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 cups baking soda</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">and a 5 gallon bucket for mixing and storing</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05vmC9IYy34rnHBffVLASjUB7q6O_UZaMiVnWEN3IlLWyPgQYUV6bnitcBvx-jwM4pr_jfnHyunzEgTdtl31TP21pP1xupuFpAV9FXOh3AhtVdAnOxrKZfr7F7dij6q8q4M5Fk5ocuCc/s1600/photo+%252824%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05vmC9IYy34rnHBffVLASjUB7q6O_UZaMiVnWEN3IlLWyPgQYUV6bnitcBvx-jwM4pr_jfnHyunzEgTdtl31TP21pP1xupuFpAV9FXOh3AhtVdAnOxrKZfr7F7dij6q8q4M5Fk5ocuCc/s320/photo+%252824%2529.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqiWAAphpwgdFjA9nc6npTZdIRDAXsdafaEALFbtN6SSnABfHC0wkEqwITRR2yEie38FKH6TlkjCqGNnQKeOVFRR7E0QapHYI6jcqWQaCakzoY0S7V40xBQoO8nha3C4iqAX-ZrxzUbg/s1600/photo+%252834%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqiWAAphpwgdFjA9nc6npTZdIRDAXsdafaEALFbtN6SSnABfHC0wkEqwITRR2yEie38FKH6TlkjCqGNnQKeOVFRR7E0QapHYI6jcqWQaCakzoY0S7V40xBQoO8nha3C4iqAX-ZrxzUbg/s320/photo+%252834%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvP5BXza-_QflaTKXOXUuaua2CwO9FJZg4d0_NHcS7gPoW6g5SMrHaWTBa8ajQ40KmCa9mlAzwYkGHPYfmpbQvRnI5RECrnFSBSb6UegpNY8wib1zCUZGBlZsTKcHH8RV7bVz3axwoG8/s1600/photo+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvP5BXza-_QflaTKXOXUuaua2CwO9FJZg4d0_NHcS7gPoW6g5SMrHaWTBa8ajQ40KmCa9mlAzwYkGHPYfmpbQvRnI5RECrnFSBSb6UegpNY8wib1zCUZGBlZsTKcHH8RV7bVz3axwoG8/s320/photo+%252835%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweguDxhIneeOnUfsYWX8TzER2o96Ch0Gr_O79WG32iY5XTljuEzsIHCsEI5eh_kFVvEWOwSW1kwaKR-aNrdc0t2bcuFsrZfdZAWK0pvd91qCafI3Y27RI6G_w-gEyUFanlI3r3uIJEHU/s1600/photo+%252830%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweguDxhIneeOnUfsYWX8TzER2o96Ch0Gr_O79WG32iY5XTljuEzsIHCsEI5eh_kFVvEWOwSW1kwaKR-aNrdc0t2bcuFsrZfdZAWK0pvd91qCafI3Y27RI6G_w-gEyUFanlI3r3uIJEHU/s320/photo+%252830%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You'll start by filling a pot with water and adding a bar of grated fels naptha soap. *Hint the smaller you grate the soap the faster it will dissolve. I use my salad shooter and use the tiny grate. Also, like I mentioned on my dry soap post, I grate a bunch of bars into individual bags to save time on the next batch of soap I make. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM25K9zzJZzyxU56qoxQuewwc5KqLVjUWp-RKiXstOC3jITmPJWTlf6IJYiO_a_ULHi_JE3cAs4MTeHy9kEr-whVXH4f7shCjXTm-2bMcGBZQzEisLKQi0X_8EjQrk9cq2IA2bl_53D3E/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-VnVVUBPk0gvkzgdQAnuj4l0305t4rebPBFZ7gfZSSYdqe7vRVI66DmFB83UIvXy9ryV9-cWtpBThXSz_P495W3OPyz2CwEX_odpPJgw8N9jxmH115nt-DjdWmaC7GNSNVly0g8wdm0/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRtgb6kcQpwBaQvTb0rn8ct0T3OzTuUOBbDyF3HUlHMVIJgJnmgzj6IEEZ7vS8HGiG3dyLLwxbsK3N0hM9O_a3qXzOjjnYcahqSzxENEv6JGOFXoTKHR-yYE80fbfEx9AYGV7Qqjtmu8/s1600/photo+3+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRtgb6kcQpwBaQvTb0rn8ct0T3OzTuUOBbDyF3HUlHMVIJgJnmgzj6IEEZ7vS8HGiG3dyLLwxbsK3N0hM9O_a3qXzOjjnYcahqSzxENEv6JGOFXoTKHR-yYE80fbfEx9AYGV7Qqjtmu8/s320/photo+3+(2).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While this is dissolving, add all of your powders into a 5 gallon bucket. I like to use a gamma lid on my bucket (that has a center piece that screws on and off). They are much easier for things you get into more often.</span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwKHR7vmdHVZqKGcQohv5oqBJLSMV2veD2ZNB2zSXP4L0WIGWA7y5UymIP6BP6AwQ0JdfGH2-0EssD93y8FnfIWmQNRKdAden16ruUTFGWO2Dn_qtnUJcxrOxw-9iOFZ3AwNdid052XI/s1600/photo+4+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwKHR7vmdHVZqKGcQohv5oqBJLSMV2veD2ZNB2zSXP4L0WIGWA7y5UymIP6BP6AwQ0JdfGH2-0EssD93y8FnfIWmQNRKdAden16ruUTFGWO2Dn_qtnUJcxrOxw-9iOFZ3AwNdid052XI/s320/photo+4+%25282%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fill the bucket about 1/4 the way up with hot water and stir so all of the powders dissolve. Waiting for the <strike>cheese</strike> soap and powders to dissolve is the most time consuming part. Once both are dissolved, pour your fels naptha/water mixture into your bucket and stir it up good.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcddjp7jA5S42ajAWLUaXcNf7MOMIq_95YQXWyLTlHrajY3Ma23BXtseg2UeBDs7BYm2OHNFqoRn0E2LvtCsZ2Jumz1WAouVZdTQUdnEpwothFL6opOeTL1fVLevpVMJXyRq63HIa9uI/s1600/photo+1+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcddjp7jA5S42ajAWLUaXcNf7MOMIq_95YQXWyLTlHrajY3Ma23BXtseg2UeBDs7BYm2OHNFqoRn0E2LvtCsZ2Jumz1WAouVZdTQUdnEpwothFL6opOeTL1fVLevpVMJXyRq63HIa9uI/s320/photo+1+%25281%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next you are going to add hot water to just above 3/4 the bucket and stir good (leaving room to add a liquid soap if desired and to be able to get your arm in mix good without spilling)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji65ehPMnaXo2osFPHK_qz09AzFhVVFppWECdgxHh9yDJLqbtS6SnSSjCSJAvDq-wdyp37GmMi0iuChVpNPFfoalymhmLALQucTQGDVlvYo-WPgUilx2m9AUYKn-K3if3pwVlbMEzWz_o/s1600/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji65ehPMnaXo2osFPHK_qz09AzFhVVFppWECdgxHh9yDJLqbtS6SnSSjCSJAvDq-wdyp37GmMi0iuChVpNPFfoalymhmLALQucTQGDVlvYo-WPgUilx2m9AUYKn-K3if3pwVlbMEzWz_o/s320/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now you place the lid on and wait for the "soap fairy" to come. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">She's kind of slow so give her a good 6-8 hours</span>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUliaIKcOX2qd4NFdoDGBmJ4-GRARsd98eYcp7aP-oo0w93L2pUOgH-3bsmh93Stqg4sCNbnHH8BTOwm5dapBDh5jvfq2E7lHTN5XIh73WKQ3c553NY-14Q_mGPZ8o0LpgXYqQUwfwHk/s1600/photo+4+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUliaIKcOX2qd4NFdoDGBmJ4-GRARsd98eYcp7aP-oo0w93L2pUOgH-3bsmh93Stqg4sCNbnHH8BTOwm5dapBDh5jvfq2E7lHTN5XIh73WKQ3c553NY-14Q_mGPZ8o0LpgXYqQUwfwHk/s320/photo+4+%25281%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Open your bucket and ta-da!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC027Hb7M25lYo8j12M-fsQ04YoCSu11Z6b_2YnRhAdLcD1frtJgcSfpzH4fd4EB86uXQsyivCH6zy27rtCh109fE0My7e9cFnncvPjUJjQxzJk08whZaOwjBMFfJLhyphenhyphen3tilDAKMpuF3w/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC027Hb7M25lYo8j12M-fsQ04YoCSu11Z6b_2YnRhAdLcD1frtJgcSfpzH4fd4EB86uXQsyivCH6zy27rtCh109fE0My7e9cFnncvPjUJjQxzJk08whZaOwjBMFfJLhyphenhyphen3tilDAKMpuF3w/s320/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH34TRyBHdqb5RYajNyRVimfXYNyjDJh-VWd8W5JwZe8DnuSS7EymhC_u-FM6MJesXc1YOCdnBzqMUmjgSlWGC3T1dP2VrMv0phnfdcHXAdAtiaDnEQTlqkPySsAsjpuHmgO4PSyEHamE/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH34TRyBHdqb5RYajNyRVimfXYNyjDJh-VWd8W5JwZe8DnuSS7EymhC_u-FM6MJesXc1YOCdnBzqMUmjgSlWGC3T1dP2VrMv0phnfdcHXAdAtiaDnEQTlqkPySsAsjpuHmgO4PSyEHamE/s320/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, it's thick. This is where you have 2 options. You can either dilute it 1/2 soap and 1/2 water, I don't prefer this method. It's still kind of clumpy and <strike>I'm lazy </strike>I have to have 2 buckets or mix it each time I fill my soap dispenser. So instead, I add 1/2 a container of liquid Tide. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpRtweErKMm4GCEoBTBmqQV7kONNX3dN0R4yvFOM_h4MKSG1XFlyGFjdvg08ziuXZUVL85qQ_ClQpQ5pnjh2wD9JZT4kcHG9X7AcTB1hUBfj9yPyQhV5y3xRZJb85uL62DPvEGbDAvfU/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpRtweErKMm4GCEoBTBmqQV7kONNX3dN0R4yvFOM_h4MKSG1XFlyGFjdvg08ziuXZUVL85qQ_ClQpQ5pnjh2wD9JZT4kcHG9X7AcTB1hUBfj9yPyQhV5y3xRZJb85uL62DPvEGbDAvfU/s320/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSKtSGAdPFhpUPQkqka2DzSOkCZuLrIZ6qcNMtKFjmrEBKGyw6moxsiZrIeztwu5NAolT5WpKtuvpoXy-d9HNgBTUReO2zvXN-u3RnER6-X7DhNZa01E6Xpi_UUcfVt8qRC3I2apq-IM/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSKtSGAdPFhpUPQkqka2DzSOkCZuLrIZ6qcNMtKFjmrEBKGyw6moxsiZrIeztwu5NAolT5WpKtuvpoXy-d9HNgBTUReO2zvXN-u3RnER6-X7DhNZa01E6Xpi_UUcfVt8qRC3I2apq-IM/s320/photo+4.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't know why, but adding it changes the entire state of this soap. It goes from thick and clumpy to liquid - instantly (And I like the smell it adds too)! The bad part of this is that you really need to get it mixed and mashed good and the best way I've found is with my hand.....</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvo4-jfOO1lsWtaWMNh2EFd4uuaRH9xD6Uh0b0LcpVjpJ4TocTEZKSI0xxoCrSZoTt3Ei_jknrZ4hiNEub1vBmjBdfkhu8dRLvdidhsKLvS3Cj09Q2y8b29xLhNK7Mtuka1HlIdOPbDQ/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvo4-jfOO1lsWtaWMNh2EFd4uuaRH9xD6Uh0b0LcpVjpJ4TocTEZKSI0xxoCrSZoTt3Ei_jknrZ4hiNEub1vBmjBdfkhu8dRLvdidhsKLvS3Cj09Q2y8b29xLhNK7Mtuka1HlIdOPbDQ/s320/photo+5.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-S3g1sujYQUT_3Z7xn-GHH_jCWfgY8JjnmbAMXVT9PhZq3spa3Nswq4OOnb0Kb1xWpXNwELatOyJlYZ4fC7Gdj__xf3v6CxtDDiv9bMz_RW-LBetrTGOYKapNsVk7kWnU9UQwjv4g00/s1600/photo+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-S3g1sujYQUT_3Z7xn-GHH_jCWfgY8JjnmbAMXVT9PhZq3spa3Nswq4OOnb0Kb1xWpXNwELatOyJlYZ4fC7Gdj__xf3v6CxtDDiv9bMz_RW-LBetrTGOYKapNsVk7kWnU9UQwjv4g00/s320/photo+2+(2).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I use one of my old spigot laundry soap containers to put the soap in and it works great. I would use a cute drink dispenser, but it stays in my cupboard and out of sight. Like I said, I use 1/4 cup of soap per load. I use my liquid for towels and darks (no oxy clean). I could use it for everything and just add oxy, but my kids and husband think it's much easier to just add one thing. I have been going to try to dissolve a container of my favorite Downy Unstopables in my liquid but haven't tried that yet. I have been know to add some essential oils to add to the smell. Have I mentioned that CLEAN LAUNDRY IS MY FAVORITE SMELL! Yep even better than homemade bread.....</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-33550196372796492722013-06-27T10:25:00.000-07:002014-03-03T22:06:58.648-08:00My Favorite Homemade Laundry Soap <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckgT_gPj_8rEcbErMl9ghpNSpHkcztw9TtEEwpQMDnwYwyYWyLldgjW4uC2zISwJ4ktd9XwoNRnKc_YkFuAQJC0_3AJ9FPUozwMyKLtaY_GYuE4oyr-_Ed_ISQVlSSTyRaSbWQkiWhuM/s1600/photo+(27).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckgT_gPj_8rEcbErMl9ghpNSpHkcztw9TtEEwpQMDnwYwyYWyLldgjW4uC2zISwJ4ktd9XwoNRnKc_YkFuAQJC0_3AJ9FPUozwMyKLtaY_GYuE4oyr-_Ed_ISQVlSSTyRaSbWQkiWhuM/s320/photo+(27).JPG" height="238" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been making homemade laundry soap for over 4 years now. I should sit down and figure out how much I have saved over that time (I'm sure I would amaze even myself)! When I started making it, it was on a "need to" basis to save money. My husband had lost his job, and I was trying to save money everywhere I could. My motto is, "Saving money on dumb stuff, so I can spend it on FUN stuff!" My oldest child had suffered with eczema and the only detergent I could use was Tide. I loved it, and loved the smell, but it was expensive. I average 15+ loads of laundry a week so the soap goes fast! I didn't know how this would affect Kaden, but I figured if I needed to, I would wash his clothes separate in tide. I started out making liquid soap 5 gallons at a time for $7-$8. (I will do a post on this later, I really like this for my darks). I loved the soap, and it worked really well. The one thing I really missed was the smell. My favorite smell is "clean laundry" and it was missing that. So I started adding part of a bottle of liquid tide to add the scent. Then I started adding a scoop of oxi clean, and downy unstoppables to each load. When my kids or hubby would do a load of laundry, they weren't as good at remembering to add all the extras. So, I decided to try it out in a powder form and have it all in one mix. (Wow that was a very long explanation on how my soap recipe came about!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKnSugDcWCtZ7Q7UbkeZJIRHyDrXC30SiJlD8ISFfpgCiIxDNinq1Nha9kpc6d6EgeyQne94b5BlS-wWSPzTaGYEeneoaUUU3n8wh1XOn829m1-AC4wqfL9-zJcZK_ffUWKRwRtZZCbs/s1600/photo+(23).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKnSugDcWCtZ7Q7UbkeZJIRHyDrXC30SiJlD8ISFfpgCiIxDNinq1Nha9kpc6d6EgeyQne94b5BlS-wWSPzTaGYEeneoaUUU3n8wh1XOn829m1-AC4wqfL9-zJcZK_ffUWKRwRtZZCbs/s320/photo+(23).JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-pin-config="beside" data-pin-do="buttonPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffundayatatime.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F06%2Fmy-favorite-homemade-laundry-soap.html&media=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-a_eswd0meVA%2FUcxsV_4v1MI%2FAAAAAAAAAI4%2FoZ8pM0DBXag%2Fs1600%2Fphoto%2B%252823%2529.JPG&description=My%20Favorite%20Homemade%20Laundry%20Soap"><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One of the hardest parts of using this soap is getting used to using such a small amount, and not having suds. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> For a Small load use 1 TBLS, Medium 1 1/2 TBLS and Large (my only size) 2 TBLS. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is the same for a regular or HE. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This recipe will do 350 large loads of laundry......for me that lasts 6 months! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> When I first started making this, I would have to shop 3 different stores to find all of my ingredients, now I can find everything at Wal Mart (and almost every other store I've checked) in the laundry section. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQ8bfSm6oHykbH42yKDHEYkHXZgUFZ734A0-khY3-zZwoIonbk6bz2u1f6JscCb1GNFIzWCNZopvDpjpsKuSklXa5z844XB-Bvp_h9KNzcKKy3LPgTGiG00FzAElxqFFZKkM8j-jC4sI/s1600/photo+(28).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfQ8bfSm6oHykbH42yKDHEYkHXZgUFZ734A0-khY3-zZwoIonbk6bz2u1f6JscCb1GNFIzWCNZopvDpjpsKuSklXa5z844XB-Bvp_h9KNzcKKy3LPgTGiG00FzAElxqFFZKkM8j-jC4sI/s320/photo+(28).JPG" height="238" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 (4 lb 12 oz) box borax</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd0gR5e1UwqZ3J831HQ6I50Z2HsTMIFvg493n1BOIHlqXtZC_hGIX40j90YhzvXw1dbKyF52YozPXqSLsurjci3S4uY_8KlXOVMc_xcC4z9ZhF2qgqz8ZtrwZn9JIAku4mNfwUkJjU3Q/s1600/photo+(34).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd0gR5e1UwqZ3J831HQ6I50Z2HsTMIFvg493n1BOIHlqXtZC_hGIX40j90YhzvXw1dbKyF52YozPXqSLsurjci3S4uY_8KlXOVMc_xcC4z9ZhF2qgqz8ZtrwZn9JIAku4mNfwUkJjU3Q/s320/photo+(34).JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 (3 lb 7 oz) box arm and hammer WASHING soda</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLwUA-SimcDFlSnDrTCrOujTR8p6EWIbYEz3vwTBfBRC67kNcuwXcNaxW0QKdRKGRyOWg2exbbBppNqJjhtxWsDist0XifgmOPYQhyERqIyfk0nBOYwhago_8hUp8QvgTCQXH6eV4x8s/s1600/photo+(30).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLwUA-SimcDFlSnDrTCrOujTR8p6EWIbYEz3vwTBfBRC67kNcuwXcNaxW0QKdRKGRyOWg2exbbBppNqJjhtxWsDist0XifgmOPYQhyERqIyfk0nBOYwhago_8hUp8QvgTCQXH6eV4x8s/s320/photo+(30).JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 (4 lb) box baking soda</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvP5BXza-_QflaTKXOXUuaua2CwO9FJZg4d0_NHcS7gPoW6g5SMrHaWTBa8ajQ40KmCa9mlAzwYkGHPYfmpbQvRnI5RECrnFSBSb6UegpNY8wib1zCUZGBlZsTKcHH8RV7bVz3axwoG8/s1600/photo+%252835%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvP5BXza-_QflaTKXOXUuaua2CwO9FJZg4d0_NHcS7gPoW6g5SMrHaWTBa8ajQ40KmCa9mlAzwYkGHPYfmpbQvRnI5RECrnFSBSb6UegpNY8wib1zCUZGBlZsTKcHH8RV7bVz3axwoG8/s320/photo+%252835%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2 bars of fels naptha soap finely grated (I use my salad shooter)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05vmC9IYy34rnHBffVLASjUB7q6O_UZaMiVnWEN3IlLWyPgQYUV6bnitcBvx-jwM4pr_jfnHyunzEgTdtl31TP21pP1xupuFpAV9FXOh3AhtVdAnOxrKZfr7F7dij6q8q4M5Fk5ocuCc/s1600/photo+%252824%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05vmC9IYy34rnHBffVLASjUB7q6O_UZaMiVnWEN3IlLWyPgQYUV6bnitcBvx-jwM4pr_jfnHyunzEgTdtl31TP21pP1xupuFpAV9FXOh3AhtVdAnOxrKZfr7F7dij6q8q4M5Fk5ocuCc/s320/photo+%252824%2529.JPG" height="238" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 1/2 lbs of oxi clean -1/2 of this tub (I tried a generic this time and it's working great)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3FPfT91j8pP3frZQSxcDD7kD1rnmWL0HklspXB0P5PVY-qZPTrFq3bAL7K-ye5w3bqVePy1_I7HFOaa80g1pkTSXkflgxH_v_BSPcHAf52j9p6v4DsuyPYdD8FIFQVkUPaypIbRgSOg/s1600/photo+%252833%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3FPfT91j8pP3frZQSxcDD7kD1rnmWL0HklspXB0P5PVY-qZPTrFq3bAL7K-ye5w3bqVePy1_I7HFOaa80g1pkTSXkflgxH_v_BSPcHAf52j9p6v4DsuyPYdD8FIFQVkUPaypIbRgSOg/s320/photo+%252833%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1 (13.2 oz) bottle of downy unstopables (or another similar type of product)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHunRtUaaLVsrTsNpWk4vplG9ByA3W7MPVnoi-oSTcIa9B0BBvHsaoBbzXYFCRTA8vPB8U1w3BsR6D_tMqwUwtH9kcKhgaD-JjQvFwwMrpRPwPzezUcY3sOmbWuw2A-EBLqzFuhQCVhA/s1600/photo+%252829%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHunRtUaaLVsrTsNpWk4vplG9ByA3W7MPVnoi-oSTcIa9B0BBvHsaoBbzXYFCRTA8vPB8U1w3BsR6D_tMqwUwtH9kcKhgaD-JjQvFwwMrpRPwPzezUcY3sOmbWuw2A-EBLqzFuhQCVhA/s320/photo+%252829%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">{The Oxi and the unstoppables are the most expensive items and are completely optional}</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The first time I made laundry soap I hand grated my fels naptha (which is orange by the way) onto a plate. I turned to get something and looked back just as my then 4 year old grabbed some soap and put it in his mouth - it looks just like grated cheddar cheese! I wish I'd had a camera! I have since gotten a lot smarter and use my salad shooter to grate my soap. I usually grate 10 bars at a time so I don't have to wash the salad shooter every time. I just grate each bar into it's own ziplock bag and store it in my laundry room so it's ready for the next batch. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You will need a large bucket to mix everything together in. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Pour the Borax and Washing Soda into the bucket</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Because you use such a small amount of soap, I found that some loads got more fels naptha & unstoppables than other loads because they weren't as evenly distributed as the powders. So to fix this, I put a couple cups of baking soda in my blender (you could use a food processor too) and then added one bar of my grated fels naptha. I just let it run long enough to break the soap up a little more.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1y7qiovzH3gGvBYcqVDpML1A1beXEclCte1mYiiIxYkq4uCX0DbfyNW5z_CWa7rbjBEQUVt1BhU2o9hfcYfkmnBoJc8zDFZNXnN3iN0Wid6HcneSvLwzby9lVuDta3pCDoMvQz7XxD4/s1600/photo+%252836%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1y7qiovzH3gGvBYcqVDpML1A1beXEclCte1mYiiIxYkq4uCX0DbfyNW5z_CWa7rbjBEQUVt1BhU2o9hfcYfkmnBoJc8zDFZNXnN3iN0Wid6HcneSvLwzby9lVuDta3pCDoMvQz7XxD4/s320/photo+%252836%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Dump this in your bucket and repeat with your other bar of soap. I also did this with the unstoppables, I did about 1/4 of a bottle at a time. Because of the heat the friction causes and the fact that the soap and unstoppables are a little softer, they will jam up in the bottom of the blender or food processor. You don't need to get them as fine as the other ingredients, I just find it helps to break them up some. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeCwjMAlmWOzIC8CtVROTfhfKqkzQQhSn7FySlHgRF_M2AvG9CtuqJuX65NXgaynvKvC5EKVayrhroG1vdrQ2VGlfKAgLqlwvpB9WRisrharQgzm7Z9XDjei4VCS97Gh0jX4MUntP3z8/s1600/photo+%252832%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeCwjMAlmWOzIC8CtVROTfhfKqkzQQhSn7FySlHgRF_M2AvG9CtuqJuX65NXgaynvKvC5EKVayrhroG1vdrQ2VGlfKAgLqlwvpB9WRisrharQgzm7Z9XDjei4VCS97Gh0jX4MUntP3z8/s320/photo+%252832%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">All Ingredients should now be in your bucket. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Stir Stir Stir....Your house will smell like clean laundry heaven!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">After seeing me make laundry soap in the blender, my 17 year old posted on his instagram "My mom's making laundry soap in the same blender I make my protein shakes in.......If I start burping bubbles, someone please shoot me!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This recipe will make just over 2 gallons of powder. I store one gallon in a glass jar - $10 at Wal Mart (it used to have a glass lid.....a cement floor and glass don't mix well) The other half goes in a gallon pitcher in my cupboard. There's always a little left that I usually put in a pint jar, add a little vinyl and pass onto a friend. I use the scoop that comes in the "Sun oxygen cleaner" to measure my soap out. It is a 2 TBLS scoop and works perfect for my large loads. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWlsBT-qrAxTMLFAdmyJdlQUYwQ4QWx__TA7CdRfwFIz8HD4BK7OHv9YRcARRkXGrtmC9nGvb7OYAvTsOYVc57kVGKRGUtrM8q0Im85U4raLTfNMlbuMhLXEy4w_GquwG8bp_9-PAPUg/s1600/photo+%252825%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWlsBT-qrAxTMLFAdmyJdlQUYwQ4QWx__TA7CdRfwFIz8HD4BK7OHv9YRcARRkXGrtmC9nGvb7OYAvTsOYVc57kVGKRGUtrM8q0Im85U4raLTfNMlbuMhLXEy4w_GquwG8bp_9-PAPUg/s320/photo+%252825%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Start to finish this usually takes me 1 hour to make and be cleaned up.....well worth my time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Since this usually describes my house.......</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW78Io4PNuFqyuTaaKg9BGQMGtbabYSjTtP3QbZIQBa6KnYepTAC0Y49XF4aXS4crCt_WR7bT8il9ivP8i3EAXm60q-eMx8DMmz7NiYwiHCQ8nJ7HOpy9nFqbyhU-0d7p2Kb_3e9eeLU/s1600/photo+%252826%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitW78Io4PNuFqyuTaaKg9BGQMGtbabYSjTtP3QbZIQBa6KnYepTAC0Y49XF4aXS4crCt_WR7bT8il9ivP8i3EAXm60q-eMx8DMmz7NiYwiHCQ8nJ7HOpy9nFqbyhU-0d7p2Kb_3e9eeLU/s320/photo+%252826%2529.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This laundry soap helps keep it clean without breaking the bank!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">{If you decide you don't want to use homemade laundry soap, I would recommend at least keeping the main ingredients (borax, washing soda and fels naptha) on hand to use in your storage} </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-8549551169943766502013-05-10T06:38:00.001-07:002014-03-03T22:04:50.565-08:00If you give a mom a muffin....{printable}<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My sister just called to ask if I had any ideas for mom for Mother's Day and it may me think of the "If you give a mom a muffin" poem that I said I would do some printables for.....where did the time go?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>"If You Give Mom a Muffin"</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> If you give a mom a muffin, <br />She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. <br />She'll pour herself some. <br />Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. <br />She'll wipe it up. <br />Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks. <br />She'll remember she has to do laundry. <br />When she puts the laundry in the washer, <br />She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. <br />Bumping into the freezer will remind her <br />she has to plan for supper. <br />She will get out a pound of hamburger. <br />She'll look for her cookbook <br />("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger"). <br />The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail. <br />She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. <br />She will look for her checkbook. <br />The checkbook is in her purse <br />that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. <br />She'll smell something funny. <br />She'll change the two-year-old's diaper. <br />While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring. <br />Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. <br />She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee. <br />Thinking of coffee will remind her <br />that she was going to have a cup. And chances are...If she has a cup of coffee, <br />Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">author Beth Brubaker</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not a coffee drinker, so I did one with Cocoa and one with Juice. Once I got started on the different colors and designs, I went <strike>completely</strike> a little crazy. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisDtw9I9snGyT07d-OPpLTculILJfUFm3TIpSl9ANd8KZFSP2rrgIe0Lksbq41k16n60GVDO0AoA4MkPjtKKWvXTG05rTJW3a1ANa6LzTL9hVDYQo9_M8o8293aRPeWmUrHFUemH0Km4/s1600/polkadots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiisDtw9I9snGyT07d-OPpLTculILJfUFm3TIpSl9ANd8KZFSP2rrgIe0Lksbq41k16n60GVDO0AoA4MkPjtKKWvXTG05rTJW3a1ANa6LzTL9hVDYQo9_M8o8293aRPeWmUrHFUemH0Km4/s320/polkadots.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_57119070"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfM09RUlNaeEZXN28/edit?usp=sharing">for Polka Dots click here</a><span id="goog_57119071"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJE4Nxvt1hj0opq55vDVLBAALtObhv4oEGpdI3WJl2gWHMpbijCWTQlrPBGuiL3H06rYvU46hhk-eab82KkVzAnrPn7TiiVzyjNTYxAphi8hpqqWkOArEMjbwZbm-BZlXp6ShBCVBl3o/s1600/chevron.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJE4Nxvt1hj0opq55vDVLBAALtObhv4oEGpdI3WJl2gWHMpbijCWTQlrPBGuiL3H06rYvU46hhk-eab82KkVzAnrPn7TiiVzyjNTYxAphi8hpqqWkOArEMjbwZbm-BZlXp6ShBCVBl3o/s320/chevron.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfZWNab2E3cWFpb1U/edit?usp=sharing">for Chevrons click here</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp-FimFvq9tW1wF7wndGZwKWKRxHJugEJWm-7BHseNnf-Tln4STawHYuWO8alTn4VHIjrX9GZUAk7qStRNWaZ0XR314pDeMRCQPUicyh4htd3QwWNFA-C6k_Yc4Zhl_OXUrwkajgeSZE/s1600/stripe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp-FimFvq9tW1wF7wndGZwKWKRxHJugEJWm-7BHseNnf-Tln4STawHYuWO8alTn4VHIjrX9GZUAk7qStRNWaZ0XR314pDeMRCQPUicyh4htd3QwWNFA-C6k_Yc4Zhl_OXUrwkajgeSZE/s320/stripe.JPG" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfV3lWSzU1S042OWM/edit?usp=sharing">for Stripes click here</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vMrTeXqY8UQBr0uByuBSLW4c2J2sccZEM4bAEWI27zzPm_nJD01ifQSj4oPLHo0US4pg8GeRGvfaTNc8FJ7AByfFh6RHyzo6TFL5hJpar7n5BMhXamqMl8GaKf5POs_MHshLMb9J2ps/s1600/yellow+gray.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vMrTeXqY8UQBr0uByuBSLW4c2J2sccZEM4bAEWI27zzPm_nJD01ifQSj4oPLHo0US4pg8GeRGvfaTNc8FJ7AByfFh6RHyzo6TFL5hJpar7n5BMhXamqMl8GaKf5POs_MHshLMb9J2ps/s320/yellow+gray.JPG" height="254" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfcXB6Q0ZISmZGQXM/edit?usp=sharing">for Yellow/Gray click here</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> How fun to add this to a box of muffins and a bottle of juice (or a cute mug to go with the cocoa) I think I'll be giving this to all my kids second moms and my favorite mom friends! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicg0AMncIJmpbBtVHGY0khSvclwREVmTOCbUB2kvnYcSjC_CsOFlZbHrMIYiqajgLSptlytOmEObQGz4-SsTQnfnPG1iS8KNXFEwl-F2FRr1-9uyxpapHUqUa6t_ciOcgtpdlDS3Q3QI/s1600/photo+(21).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicg0AMncIJmpbBtVHGY0khSvclwREVmTOCbUB2kvnYcSjC_CsOFlZbHrMIYiqajgLSptlytOmEObQGz4-SsTQnfnPG1iS8KNXFEwl-F2FRr1-9uyxpapHUqUa6t_ciOcgtpdlDS3Q3QI/s320/photo+(21).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-pin-config="beside" data-pin-do="buttonPin" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffundayatatime.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F05%2Fif-you-give-mom-muffinprintable.html&media=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-taTBmqF_5IU%2FUYx-F-c2G-I%2FAAAAAAAAAIE%2Fmz6oiY1x-JU%2Fs1600%2Fphoto%2B%252821%2529.JPG&description=If%20you%20give%20a%20mom%20a%20muffin%20-%20mothers%20day%20printable"><img src="//assets.pinterest.com/images/pidgets/pin_it_button.png" /></a>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite moms, wanna be moms and soon to be moms!</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-13055753088201133642013-04-29T21:00:00.000-07:002014-03-03T22:24:37.682-08:00Mom Helper....Dinner Helper....Blue Bucket<span style="font-size: large;">On my last post I said I would explain what "mom helper, dinner helper, and blue bucket" are. These three jobs are listed daily for my kids and are a big help to me. Let's start with "Mom Helper" first.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7hJ2HeDQV2u8FfVwQ658_9McqaW9iab8ezXVHru_TY7X-sbt2dNm5IQ9p_cqVK-825uRzach9wrZDrG5RpvLDD9w0ch3w4pJVZ4CvVC5VWGjZr1dDFg7gT-8e2MSGsteu4AZYdehJtU/s1600/mom+helper+jpeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7hJ2HeDQV2u8FfVwQ658_9McqaW9iab8ezXVHru_TY7X-sbt2dNm5IQ9p_cqVK-825uRzach9wrZDrG5RpvLDD9w0ch3w4pJVZ4CvVC5VWGjZr1dDFg7gT-8e2MSGsteu4AZYdehJtU/s320/mom+helper+jpeg.JPG" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">These are all jobs that need to be done once or twice a week. You'll notice that each kid has a day a week off from "mom helper". I scheduled this around their schedules and when they are the busiest. For the most part these take them anywhere from 5-10 minutes from start to finish, but save me an hour. They also give them a little ownership in a clean house.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Next is "Dinner Helper". This is exactly what it sounds like, how each child helps with dinner. It is very important to us to eat dinner as family as often as we can. If you have teenagers you'll understand that it doesn't happen as often as it used to. Especially with kids having jobs, and I'll soon have two teenage work schedules to deal with. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoNR3IyYpPK00vxp6LUZwN9Ot7e_bGL9UOvyNCq7mc7Tx8aBEPWzdOPHr5PyzTv4tQVPdCMvq8IlqtO935woUVUVb2aKze8Q4dYvtjs8BaDFtYsWYEF2hs5vLQk55MmJojCPlVwswVLo/s1600/IMG_3805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoNR3IyYpPK00vxp6LUZwN9Ot7e_bGL9UOvyNCq7mc7Tx8aBEPWzdOPHr5PyzTv4tQVPdCMvq8IlqtO935woUVUVb2aKze8Q4dYvtjs8BaDFtYsWYEF2hs5vLQk55MmJojCPlVwswVLo/s320/IMG_3805.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On the top part of my menu board is where my dinner helper schedule is. We've had different types of dinner helper charts before, usually ones that rotate through in order. The rotation schedules don't work for us any more because of the crazy schedules of 5 kids. So, I've set it up for how it works for our schedule. For example Tuesday afternoons are CrAZy at our house. My oldest daughter has dance from 3:30-5:15, my middle daughter has dance from 4:30-6:00 and my youngest daughter from 6:30-7:30 (with me running them back and forth). So.....we have from 6:05-6:25 to eat (luckily dance is close). My youngest helps make dinner (prep) that night since she doesn't have to be to dance till after we eat. My middle daughter clears and wipes the counters after dinner, and my oldest daughter does the dishes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoctJOZBAZfm_jI2pK3HQXiEJ9HH2K0ZC2ufPY6KwHduSwk6MdFCAkaY6hByQZKWDOE5cZqPEvx4DlhLELSqkJdZuOVUAdOQc24yTW_xF1K1OePPfylB9kSxoeNRFtkZWfl5S_-lf0ds/s1600/dinner+helper+jpeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoctJOZBAZfm_jI2pK3HQXiEJ9HH2K0ZC2ufPY6KwHduSwk6MdFCAkaY6hByQZKWDOE5cZqPEvx4DlhLELSqkJdZuOVUAdOQc24yTW_xF1K1OePPfylB9kSxoeNRFtkZWfl5S_-lf0ds/s320/dinner+helper+jpeg.JPG" height="170" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Since Kaden has a job without a set schedule, he does what he can around his work schedule. This seems to work well for us. Obviously the older kids can do a lot more than the younger ones. I love when my two oldest girls are on prep, it means a light night of cooking for me. My youngest two love to be on prep and are able to do a little more every week. It's a great time to spend a little one on one time with them, and they are learning cooking skills at the same time. One of my favorite nights is when my 8 year old has dishes, I hear all sorts of stories that night!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now for the "blue bucket"....????</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> It had been one of those days....You know the one where the kids leave for school and you wonder when you became the maid?! I actually went around the house and took pictures of every room so I could show everyone what the house looked like when they all left. I know I should have just left it for them to clean up......instead, I picked everything up and piled it in a big blue tote. I was D.O.N.E. being the maid. Cook, chauffeur, laundry lady, hair dresser and mentor, those I was fine with (as long as I got a little help and appreciation). Maid.....NOT gonna happen! So, before they could go do anything, they had to put their stuff away. But...in order to put their stuff away, they had to earn it back first. 5 minutes for each item. 5 minutes of jobs off the blue bucket list. Oh you should have heard the moaning when some had over TWO hours of jobs. Yep that means more than 24 things they had left out in one afternoon/evening. The hardest part was coming up with over 5 hours worth of jobs.....this is where the weekly and monthly job lists come in handy. And, I always have baseboards that need scrubbed. We kept the "blue bucket" in the bottom of the coat closet for a while. Problem was....out of sight, out of mind. Pretty soon, I'd go to put something in the blue bucket while the kids were at school, and it was piled so high I couldn't even balance it. So the blue bucket moved to the side of the couch in the family room. Yuck! Who wants a big blue tote sitting in their clean family room? Not me! So....now our "blue bucket" is a decorative white metal box. My oldest asked the other day when we were going to change the name to the white box....we're not, blue bucket it is. It keeps the kids a lot more aware of things they're dropping. Hmmmm....is it easier to hang this jacket up 10 steps away, or to wipe down bar stools for 5 minutes? It does get complicated sometimes with, "That's mine, but she was using it and left it out." If I'm not sure who really got it out and I'm not a battle I'm wanting to pick, there are many times I say, "then it better get put away before I realize it was even here." This system really has helped keep "stuff" from being left everywhere (most of the time).</span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I hope maybe one of these things have given you an idea on how to get just a little more organized in one of these areas. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I know these are all made for 5 kids and may not work for you, but I'm posting a blank printable of mom helpers and dinner helpers for those who want to try it out.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfb2xWTUlzVTBMVUE/edit?usp=sharing">PDF printable of mom helper</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfOERqb3RzTDlSaEE/edit?usp=sharing">PDF printable of dinner helper</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-56914092598513587972013-04-25T22:39:00.000-07:002014-06-09T06:47:41.734-07:00What's on my Fridge....<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Today I decided to share a couple more of the printables I have on my fridge right now. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The first one is for me. It reminds me of things I need to do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> to <strike>try to</strike> keep up with my house.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> My "Today's Tasks" come partly from my Daily - Weekly - Monthly list that is on the front of my fridge.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I take items from it, and add to my Today's Tasks.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpy-U9otuEZSlBiQS7N4rUD0mEOeRunqKChmlMTn9musNtZs9NzBfX1rY5LpESsK5ukjrW-Iteye7ZxYQzITJkwJx6tqw-fEbWTcq49H_iPqyd2Wp3x8Tt0JzWalNRVlMJWIfejz-vxA/s1600/IMG_3799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpy-U9otuEZSlBiQS7N4rUD0mEOeRunqKChmlMTn9musNtZs9NzBfX1rY5LpESsK5ukjrW-Iteye7ZxYQzITJkwJx6tqw-fEbWTcq49H_iPqyd2Wp3x8Tt0JzWalNRVlMJWIfejz-vxA/s320/IMG_3799.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">On my weekly list I have it sorted in different colors, I try to do a different color each day. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Some weeks are definitely better than others on getting things done. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> Either way, I still like to see what I did get done, and make sure the others get done the following week if they got missed. One of the most important things for me to remember is that my brain is for thinking, not remembering.....write it down!!!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> As soon as I think of something I need to do I write it down or it's gone.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> I have too much going on to try to think back to what I needed. </span><span style="font-size: large;">I <strike>don't even</strike> can barely make it from one room to the next remembering why I'm there. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL76Gifh3UEb5OCeHECmlGsxUVZuEyF6hyWoMxKwWeGq2aZweSUHanJ0KBBhOJnGxXKppZfSz3GORKjlMD4anMagoeqmKfjixyuZR8hgkHzLojbtK0ZKtMmhUR4pEqQuyXDMxHK4AoZiU/s1600/daily+weekly+monthly+Jpeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL76Gifh3UEb5OCeHECmlGsxUVZuEyF6hyWoMxKwWeGq2aZweSUHanJ0KBBhOJnGxXKppZfSz3GORKjlMD4anMagoeqmKfjixyuZR8hgkHzLojbtK0ZKtMmhUR4pEqQuyXDMxHK4AoZiU/s320/daily+weekly+monthly+Jpeg.JPG" height="246" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfR0JqNmpzeTdGQWs/edit?usp=sharing">click here for PDF printable </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">So....not only are there lists for me on the fridge, there are also lists for my kids. Some of my kids are list lovers like me, </span><span style="font-size: large;">others <strike>hate</strike> tolerate them. They do know though, that they have to have their list done to "enjoy" their weekend. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AW8vRkQM4zx6z0SRQJSj_KCg-dXJciSQxoQ4s9jB3e_LFXIX2YZnozLeJUrehDfiwIFXnQ8guqrM6TALXmNPZLmVjIYGxUY85fbxAQPM_E_cHn_q_ywnf_odIH_BSDMO_PD_KMfmdI8/s1600/kids+jobs+jpeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AW8vRkQM4zx6z0SRQJSj_KCg-dXJciSQxoQ4s9jB3e_LFXIX2YZnozLeJUrehDfiwIFXnQ8guqrM6TALXmNPZLmVjIYGxUY85fbxAQPM_E_cHn_q_ywnf_odIH_BSDMO_PD_KMfmdI8/s320/kids+jobs+jpeg.JPG" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Not only is it nice for me to be able to ask if their list is done, my hubby loves that he can ask to see their sheet when they ask to go somewhere. No more <strike>putting one over on dad</strike> forgetting what they had left to do. Did you notice that I'm training them to use timers too? 5 minute bedroom clean usually does the trick. Sometimes, if it gets too out of control, I have to step in and say, "You're here till it's clean!" Playing for 2 hours can't always be picked up in 5 minutes, but now that the weather is nice and they spend so much time outside, 5 min usually keeps it clean. They do have what is known at our house as "Friday Jobs". Some people clean the house on Saturday, not us, we clean on Friday so we can play on Saturday. My hubby hated that the one day he got to spend with the family was spent cleaning. Also it seems like ball games and practices, birthday parties etc. were always on Saturday morning, also it was not fun trying to get teenagers up after being up late Friday night. So before we get to "enjoy the weekend" our lists are done, including Friday Jobs. For Friday jobs each child has to have their room "mom clean", along with one other room. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Dust, vacuum, straighten closets etc. are done once a week, then at least if it's a little cluttered, I know it's "clean". I love to have a clean house, but I also know they need to be kids!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I know every one will have different jobs, but I am posting a blank chart that you can fill in with the things </span><span style="font-size: large;">you'd like your kids to get done each day.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfbllTc3lZdzM2cEE/edit?usp=sharing">click here for PDF printable</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If your kids <strike>hate</strike> only tolerate list, don't let them know you got them here ;)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-46722403734776825902013-04-24T21:03:00.001-07:002014-04-15T12:17:17.443-07:00Todays Tasks <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">As I got ready to start my day, I went to grab my notebook to make one of my many "To Do" lists. I decided it was time to step it up & get a little more organized with this. So I made a fun printable that will make it easier for me each day. I just printed it off on card stock, and laminated it with my "Purple Cows" laminator.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*It was only $20 at Costco & it comes with 100 laminator sheets- I love it!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgjzPfpDtKNeZptKrRFEtoM4bVhkQnprK1hp6837yfWb2whMSzq3tbHJImPLCDHq7bOX_4bTSb-If-_2_ZBxTa2Zi7eDRjIkl6LbzQ8mMRx2sDfhRDcMgBVOyFWC2CKo9Tkg_e31tNb0/s1600/photo+%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgjzPfpDtKNeZptKrRFEtoM4bVhkQnprK1hp6837yfWb2whMSzq3tbHJImPLCDHq7bOX_4bTSb-If-_2_ZBxTa2Zi7eDRjIkl6LbzQ8mMRx2sDfhRDcMgBVOyFWC2CKo9Tkg_e31tNb0/s320/photo+%252814%2529.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">No...I really hadn't "started my day" yet when I made this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rice Krispies anyone???</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I use a WET erase marker to write my lists out (wet erase will not smear when you touch them). I usually keep the first couple of things the same for each day, so when I'm ready to start my new list I'll just leave the top few items there, erasing the check mark for the top few and the rest of the list. (*FYI after the wet erase marker sits for weeks it can sometimes be stubborn to get off, a "magic eraser" or rubbing alcohol takes it right off). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIqOBDKK9j0uEyWeBANGFLI5g1GFx_JArQCwdCwA-5Hhjm8H3gt2xe-hKRoHNhNB1AZcIqBI2v8qJHZX47u9XLPCJ1u31KI6MCZhvQhuD3sN0mYBkoI5rQJzMf0ns8b_Z9Hfe4FPCZ_k/s1600/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAIqOBDKK9j0uEyWeBANGFLI5g1GFx_JArQCwdCwA-5Hhjm8H3gt2xe-hKRoHNhNB1AZcIqBI2v8qJHZX47u9XLPCJ1u31KI6MCZhvQhuD3sN0mYBkoI5rQJzMf0ns8b_Z9Hfe4FPCZ_k/s320/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I added magnet strips on the back so it can go on the fridge when I'm done.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;">As soon as my kids are all out the door to school I usually start my list the same... Entry/Living Room/Hall - That way if someone comes to my door at least <strike> it looks like</strike> things are clean.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3puqo8dmL-Jqnp_3M3MT1M8DO0CJq9IRDC755cN17Skm04OS1X9V5_9fZMts5Xb3OwGhv3trbXqeN1wbPsle-PbgunG_lpIL7MxZ6ZL46FzrhTBs4TcJ2FhJFysD2XFdSNNsmHtMjqY/s1600/photo+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3puqo8dmL-Jqnp_3M3MT1M8DO0CJq9IRDC755cN17Skm04OS1X9V5_9fZMts5Xb3OwGhv3trbXqeN1wbPsle-PbgunG_lpIL7MxZ6ZL46FzrhTBs4TcJ2FhJFysD2XFdSNNsmHtMjqY/s320/photo+(16).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My best friend when doing any type of cleaning, is my TIMER! I have timers in every room of my house, and also use the timer on my phone many times a day. (*Dollar Tree is great for timers that just sit on the counter, I have one that I got at Wal-Mart that was about $5 that has a clip that I keep with me while I'm cleaning).</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNwHK0TpkoyfXPJ5bPwChe0xL3_R0a-Vu6IkSlTdiApufdMRPza-DfdhlgM_mgVK_cj9SkWWHN-whgZPTIBzWQz1knX2repYjH1-HCz8W77yxwHEUDUlTY_-jBRsqTkxyIAENiTS094s/s1600/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNwHK0TpkoyfXPJ5bPwChe0xL3_R0a-Vu6IkSlTdiApufdMRPza-DfdhlgM_mgVK_cj9SkWWHN-whgZPTIBzWQz1knX2repYjH1-HCz8W77yxwHEUDUlTY_-jBRsqTkxyIAENiTS094s/s320/photo+%252818%2529.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You will notice on my "Today's tasks" list there is a spot for minutes. I never stay in one room more than 15 minutes at a time and usually keep it to 5 or 10 (some rooms require 2 or 3 10 minute sessions, but never all at once). I find that if I know I only have 5 minutes to complete a task, I can really move & stay on task much better. On the other hand, if I just have a list of things to clean, it can take all day. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't know about you, but this poem seems to describe my day if I don't have a list </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">AND a timer keeping me on task. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>"If You Give Mom a Muffin"</strong> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> If you give a mom a muffin, <br />She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. <br />She'll pour herself some. <br />Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. <br />She'll wipe it up. <br />Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks. <br />She'll remember she has to do laundry. <br />When she puts the laundry in the washer, <br />She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. <br />Bumping into the freezer will remind her <br />she has to plan for supper. <br />She will get out a pound of hamburger. <br />She'll look for her cookbook <br />("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger"). <br />The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail. <br />She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. <br />She will look for her checkbook. <br />The checkbook is in her purse <br />that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. <br />She'll smell something funny. <br />She'll change the two-year-old's diaper. <br />While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring. <br />Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. <br />She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee. <br />Thinking of coffee will remind her <br />that she was going to have a cup. <br />And chances are...If she has a cup of coffee, <br />Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">author Beth Brubaker</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the poem here <a href="http://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/29775/319.html">scrapbook.com</a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Minus the coffee, this describes many of my days if I'm not using a list and timer. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">***I will be posting a couple different printable versions of this poem for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> Mother's Day next week!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Another reason I REALLY like having a list is when things happen like they did today. I was in the middle of my list when I got a phone call from my daughter at school. The conversation went something like this. "Ummm mom?" says child "Yep!" I say "Ummm I forgot my glasses, and......I don't know where I left them." You've all been there right?! So....I now go searching the house to find the glasses, throw a pair of jeans on (cuz if I showed up to school in what I clean the house in, she'd rather be blind for the day), and hair into a pony (cuz I hadn't made it to hair and make-up yet - note to self, you may want to raise that a little higher on the list). And off I went to deliver the glasses to the school. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Because of my list, as soon as I got back home I knew right where I was when she called and jumped right back in. If I didn't have a list going, chances are I would have sat down to check e-mail, instagram, or just pin for a bit (and we all know how long "just 5 minutes" ends up taking once you get on the computer).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">I love lists & get SO much more done when I follow one. So I'm sharing my</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> Today's Tasks list with you. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfX1pJSEd0dlU4SEE/edit?usp=sharing">click here for PDF file in turquoise</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7FgA87BwROfdExQR0V0U3VSS28/edit?usp=sharing">click here for PDF file in coral</a><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">So....get yourself a timer, and see how much you can get done 5 minutes at a time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">And....If you need the reminder like I do sometimes, add play with my kids to that list. If needs be, set the timer and let them choose how they spend 20 min of undivided mom time...you'll probably be as surprised as I have been.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">If you try it out, I'd love to hear how it worked for you!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4092247239576927657.post-42797481947260144942013-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:002013-05-10T06:55:46.573-07:00Welcome!<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'll be honest....I'm more than just a little nervous to be starting this blog! I actually started a blog a year ago, but hurt my back right after my first post. The rest as they say, is history. A little about me and what you can expect to find on my blog. I've been married to my amazing hubby for almost 19 years (crazy). We have 5 kids, ages 17, 15, 12, 10 and 8 - bookend boys and girls in the middle. My family is my life. Everything I do is for them (trying to take a little time for myself). I love creating, and the cheaper I can do it, the better. My natural high is getting a great deal (free even better) and turning it into something I love. My hubby is a great help in my projects. I love the satisfaction I get when I finish a project, whether it's for me or for someone else. I love spending time with my kids and husband, organizing, having a clean house (notice I didn't say cleaning), not that I mind cleaning, I just like things organized so they stay clean easier. I love lists! My day consists of list after list. I get things done when I write them down. I am known as a maven and love to get a deal. I will share my projects, ideas, kid fun, teenage survival ;) organizing tips, favorite recipes(I LOVE to bake) and much much more. I hope you'll follow along for a fun ride!</span> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11534576782848995216noreply@blogger.com0