Curling Iron Storage

Here's the situation - you just curled your hair.  You want to put the curling iron away, but it's still hot and you don't want to melt everything under your sink.  What to do?

Grab a sock from your sock drawer!  Put the sock on your still hot curling iron as a heat shield and go about your day!

Winning the Weed Battle

If you have a driveway, pavers or a walkway, you are familiar with how tenacious weeds can be.  They find every little crack and turn it into a home.

The solution?  White Vinegar!

Pour white vinegar into any crack where weeds can be found.  The vinegar kills the weeds within days, without the harsh chemicals we don't want our lawns or children exposed to.

Menu Planning Made Easy

If you're anything like me, you're busy - very busy.  I would love to have the time to plan elaborate menus for my family every week featuring new recipes with fresh ingredients purchased during afternoon trips scouting the local farmers markets.  Unfortunately that's a bit of a stretch from reality.  In my average week, I have very little time (and brain space) to sit down and map out menus for the upcoming week.  But if I don't take the time to do it, I run into the problem of having two vegetables and no main course for dinner by Thursday.

So ... what's a busy mom to do?

This is where a little preparation goes a long way. 

1)  Keep your staples on hand.  Every family has those dishes that they fall back on.  Those meals that everyone knows and likes, that mom can whip up without much thought, and the ingredients can be kept on hand.  For us, it's homemade pizza, spaghetti and veggies, and hamburgers.  I try to always have pasta, sauce, cheese, and a box of frozen hamburgers and buns in case of a grocery emergency.

2)  Online grocery shopping.  Shop Rite has a fantastic online grocery shopping service.  I can sit in the comfort of my living room and design my shopping order.  Two of my favorite features are the ability to create and save lists, and how sales items are highlighted in red.  An example of how to use this is I keep separate lists for often used recipes (e.g. meatloaf, roast chicken, etc.)  If I see that ground meat is on sale, I can open up the list for "meatloaf" where I store ground meat and any other ingredients I might need to make the recipe, and drop the whole list into the shopping cart. 

3)  Easy to use cookbooks.  This is where I go when I want to try something new.  If I see chicken breast is on sale, I will go to a "4 ingredient or less" type cookbook and look for a recipe calling for chicken.  I will add this new recipe to the shopping list, and plan one night during the upcoming week to try something new. 

4)  Meal lists.  If you are stuck in a rut, or you end up wasting money on groceries you don't use, create lists of meals and plan a menu.  Start by making a list of dinners your family likes.  Then place them on a schedule so that they rotate through the month. 

5)  Try to plan meals in a way that makes use of leftovers.  For example, when I roast a chicken we always have leftovers.  If I am creating a schedule, I might roast a chicken one night then two days later make a dish calling for diced chicken breast.  Or if you make hamburgers on Monday, make a few extra and add it to your pasta sauce on Thursday.

6)  Prep then freeze.  If you have a little extra time on the weekend, prep your meal as much as possible and freeze it.  I often keep disposable aluminum baking trays on hand.  These are great for preparing a dish in advance (like chicken, potatoes and vegetables in a marinade), then freezing it, ready to be baked.  In the morning just take it out and if you have a programmable oven you can pop it in, set  the timer and it will be ready for dinner!

Makeup Brush Revamp

If your collection of makeup brushes is looking like it has parts of the last year's makeup still on them, there's an easy way to get them as good as new. 

Fill your bathroom sink with slightly warm water, adding a small amount of shampoo.  Add the brushes to the soapy water, swishing them and sweeping the brushes on the side of the sink basin.  Rinse with cool water, and leave on a towel to dry.  They'll be good as new!

Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes

Sometimes on a busy Saturday our crock pot is our best friend. Real Simple published a great group of easy recipes. Click the link below to check them out:

Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes

Must read article for inexpensive home organizing!

Better Homes & Gardens posted a great group of ideas for getting us all organized.

For those of us who seem to have stuff everywhere and would like fun and attractive ways to get it under control, this is an article worth checking out!  One of my favorites is using egg crates as drawer organizers.  Who knew? 

Check it out at:  Simple Solutions: Repurpose Household Items for Organization

What We Can't Live Without - Garnier Pure Clean Finishing Paste

For those of us who often have rushed mornings and need to get our hair in line with little or no effort, this product is a life saver!  I have very long hair and the ends don't want to seem to hang out together after being slept on.  A quarter size dab of this finishing paste rubbed through my hair and suddenly those unruly strands get in line and work as one coordinated unit.  Added bonus - it smells good!  This is my over-sleep secret weapon.

For more information  CLICK HERE



New from Shop Rite - Digital Coupons

Shop Rite has now added Digital Coupons to its online site.  Simply log in using your online account (if you don't already have an online account you can create one using your Price Plus number), and select the coupons you like from the list.

The coupon is then added to your Price Plus card, and is taken off automatically when you purchase the item before the expiration date.

It doesn't get much easier than that!

What We Can't Live Without - Gallon Ziploc Bags

I thought I'd add a section where we could all post those things we just can't live without.  Those superstar items that do triple-duty and make our lives easier.

I'll start -

GALLON SIZE PLASTIC ZIPLOC BAGS! 

I wouldn't want to imagine life without them.  I use them for everything! 

Purse organizers
Keep in the car for wet or smelly items
Organize hair ties
Toy sorters
Dump crayons out of all those boxes into one gallon size bag
Freezer organizer - get rid of bulky waffle boxes!
Change holder
Underwear drawer organizer
Makeup organizer
Have extra diced onions or peppers? Freeze them in a Ziploc!
Keep-dry bag for the pool or beach

This versatile tool can be used to organize just about anything, keep things dry you want to keep dry, or keep wet things from getting other things wet.

Speedy Bathroom Cleanup

Need a fast way to keep the bathroom tidy during the week?

1)  Keep a package of flushable wipes handy.  They are great for wiping down the counter and sink after the crowds have covered it with toothpaste, makeup and hairspray.  One quick wipe and then flush it away.  It's great for keeping your toilet tank and seat neat too!

2) Give your toilet a quick swish with the toilet brush once a day and save yourself from a tough cleanup job at the end of the week.  An alka-seltzer tablet or white vinegar are great, inexpensive toilet cleaners!

3) After your shower take advantage of your fogged mirrors.  Wipe them with a washcloth and your mirror duty is done.

Keeping Your Family Schedule Together

To keep your crazy calendar from being just that, try:  http://www.cozi.com/

It's a great web-based calendar which can be accessed by your computer and your smartphone. 

• Color code activities to organize by family member
• Reminders sent by text
• Includes a recipe box and meal planner - ingredients are exported into shopping lists with one click!
• Multiple To-Do lists
• Multiple shopping lists - now you can create lists per store and access them on your phone
• Download templates (such as spring cleaning to-do lists) from their website
• Outlook synchronization feature
•  ... and more!