The hot spot for week three has been announced:

Toys and/or Kids’ clothes

Personally, I will probably be working on the clothing aspect – the kids’ toys get constant “makeovers” (hello trash can and giveaway bin!).  Lorelei is finally wearing the “T” clothes…you know, 2T, 3T, 4T, etc.  But, Aurora can still wear the smaller sizes, which means we’ve been switching out every 6 months.  (I am so ready for the slash sizes… 5/6, 7/8, etc…so maybe they can stay in them for 2 years!!)  Anyhow, I need to go through their clothes and figure out what needs to go to storage and what should stay, as well as re-fold their clothes and move them back to appropriate drawers since the girls sometimes borrow each others clothes (Aurora’s pants = Lorelei’s capri pants.)

Because we aren’t finished having children, I have tote boxes in storage labeled every 6 months (and once we get to “2″ it’s labeled “2 summer” or “2 winter”).  As I weed out clothing that no longer fits, I put them in grocery bags and just put it into the appropriate boxes.  Easy peasy…except for when you move a mattress out of storage and you can no longer get to boxes.  But, that’s a different post.

So, what do you do to organize kid’s clothing and toys?

Do you have a system?  Do you take them to consignment?  Do you save them?  Trash them?  Give them away?  Tell me all about it!

Welcome back!

Last week, we were supposed to go through our wardrobes… did you?

I had gone through mine the week before, giving away an entire garbage bag full of clothes…plus some.  This past week, I did take out two of my more formal knee length dresses and gave them a hard look.  At first, I tossed them into the give pile, but then I got them back out, laid them on the bed and REALLY looked at them.  I tried them on, and inspiration struck.  The thing I hated about them was the faux bling that had been attached…without that, they’d be perfectly grown-up worthy.  So, I took a close look at the bling and found that one was actually a pin and the other…well, I was able to break it off with my hands.  Hooray for me (plus, now I have some little crystals for craft projects!)!

I also learned another cool trick — If you aren’t sure whether you want something in your closet or not, put the hanger in backwards and only turn it around after you have worn it.  The next time you purge, see if it’s still facing that way or has been turned around.  If it’s still facing backwards, move it out.

I didn’t accomplish half of the things I’d meant to on my over-the-top list from last week….  But, I did re-organize my shelf!

This week, the challenge if you so choose to accept it is to:  Clear Your Paper Clutter

WEEK 2 – Clear/Organize Your Paper Clutter

You don’t have to get it ALL finished, but I’d love to see what you  do.  Set a goal and go for it…it could be one particular huge stack…or it could just be that you will set aside 10 or 30 minutes each night to tackle it.  (You could even do it as you watch TV.)

I’m ready to hear some of the cool organizational tools you all reach for — Or, what you already use.  Will you/do you use binders?  Folders?  File systems?  Trash cans and recycle bins?  Or, something else?

If you write a post on your blog about this week’s challenge, please also feel free to leave a link in the comments…I’d love to check it out.

Over the past month or so, my hubby and I have gained a little weight.  Not a lot, but enough to give us that kick in the behinds to do something about our less-than-healthy habits.  A couple of weeks ago, I began doing some strength exercises 3x a week (Okay, I know some of you are thinking BIG DEAL, but for me it is.  I HATE exercising, but have found a routine in this and tomorrow will be the end of 3 weeks and going!)  Today, I will add in cardio if my bum leg allows, but baby steps, right?

Along with the exercising, we also decided to give our food a makeover.  Food makeovers are kind of scary.  They can be even more scary when you’re on a super tight budget and things just don’t fit right (we may have to expand that part of the budget and take off elsewhere.)  But, we agreed to go to the store and get what we needed to see how long these things would last us.

Here’s what we bought*:

• 10 ct Mission whole wheat flour tortillas….  $2.62 (3 packages)
• Healthy Life 100% Whole Grain Bread …..$1.77 (we bought one loaf and had one at home)
• 1 dozen eggs… $1.64 (2)
• GV plain nonfat yogurt 32 oz….$2.00 (2)
• GV 1 gal 1% milk….$3.48 (2)
• GV 1 gal 1% chocolate milk….$3.84
• GV medium cheddar block (1 lb)…$4.44 (3)
• Brummel and Brown Yogurt Spread (instead of butter) (15 oz)…$2.38
• Tyson All-Natural Chicken Breasts (3lb)…$7.98 (2)
• Medium Shrimp (14 oz)….$5.48 (2)
• Great Value turkey bacon (12 oz)…$2.48 (2)
• Sara Lee deli oven roasted turkey breast (6.98/lb)… $7.12
• Deli Roast Beef ($6.18/lb)… $6.12
• Bunch of asparagus ($2.84/lb, 2 bunches)…$4.48
• Marketside sugar snap peas (8 oz)…$2.50
• Dole Leafy Romaine (10 oz)…$2.78
• Granny Smith Apples (1 lb/ $1.37)….$4.08
• Grapefruit …. $.54 ea (2)
• GV frozen whole strawberries (1 lb, no sugar added)…$2.36 ea (3)
• Bananas (1 lb/$.52)….$2.65 (for about 14 bananas)
• GV peach halves in cans (29 oz)…$1.76 (4)
• Smucker’s natural chunky peanut butter (16oz)…$2.34 (2)
• Light Ragu Tomato and Basil (1lb 10oz)….$1.76 (2)
• Rotel-mild (10 oz)…$.98 (2)
• GV dry chickpeas (16 oz)…$1.42
• GV light red kidney beans (16 oz)…$1.16 (2)
• GV black beans (16oz)…$1.12 (2)
• Simply Grapefruit juice (59 fl oz)…$3.00
• Simply Orange juice (59 fl oz)…$3.00
• Quaker 1-minute oats, plain (42 oz)…$3.98 (2)
• Fisher Almonds, unsalted (16 oz)…$8.72
• Ortega 40% less sodium Taco seasoning (1.25 oz)…$.62(2)
• GV whole wheat spaghetti (13.25 oz)…$1.00 (3)
• Swanson Natural Goodness Chicken Broth, 33% less sodium (32 oz)…$2.46
• Hodgson Mill Milled Flax Seed (12 oz)…$2.08
• Whey Protein powder in vanilla and chocolate (2lb)…$14.68 (2)

*These foods correspond to the ABS DIET that we are using as a base for our new “health plan”

The total kind of …no, really scares me.  It was about 4x our weekly budget.  But, I’m trying to take comfort in the fact that we’ve not eaten all of this food yet and we’ve been following the meals very closely (eating 6 meals each for 4 people).  Now, I need to find even cheaper but still just as healthy alternatives for the foods we’re buying (like, mostly cheaper fruits/veggies/deli meats/milk).  We won’t have to buy more protein powder or flax seed for a very long time, so that will cut our next grocery bill down by about $32 dollars.  And…silly me, having never cooked dried beans before forgot that DUH!  THEY SWELL!  So, we have lots of beans.  I mean, LOTS.  Tomorrow is day 7, and I just cleaned out the last of the first jar of all natural peanut butter…so we may need to look at a cheaper (but just as healthy) brand…OR find coupons.  And, of course…bananas have already disappeared!

If any of you know of where I can find these things CHEAPER, please let me know!  (Especially if it’s the same brand, or a healthier brand…)

Your mission this week, if you choose to accept it is to:  Organize YOUR wardrobe.

This week, I’m playing along with Simple Mom and her Organizational Challenge – actually, we’ll be doing this for 5 weeks, but hey.  Details shmetails, right?

You can click the link above, but the basic bit is to organize your own wardrobe – you know, with hangers and stuff.  Organized into piles on the floor totally doesn’t count.  (Drats, guess that means I have to fold laundry!  But, does that mean I only have to fold mine this week?)

Anyhow, we have until Friday to go through our own clothing and get rid of what we don’t want.  If we choose to throw away or give away any clothing, it needs to be out by Friday, too.

Personally, I think I’m going to make this a slightly bigger challenge for myself.  I invite you to join me in any capacity you want…

MY PLAN (This Week):

-Break out my improvised FlyLady Zone List for the Master Bedroom – I’ll be dusting and vacuuming and all of that jazz in the bedroom.  (I’m not sure if this is me being proactive or procrastinating…)

-Designing something for my small jewelry collection – a pile on the dresser just isn’t doing it.

-Re-organize my large bookshelf (well, the stuff on it).

-Organize and clean out under the bed (GASP!)

Okay… I have a dare for you… and for me.

I thought some of you might like to play along with me, so I figured I’d post this challenge on here:

Get rid of 30 items in your home by Feb 28th.

It’s pretty simple, really, and yet it can be really hard to know where to start.

For me, this is my “warm-up” exercise.  Spring is coming (YAY!) and that means major spring cleaning – so, what a perfect way to get started!

What counts as items? Pretty much anything and everything!  --Well, except for the normal trash you would’ve thrown out anyhow…unless of course, you collect trash.  It might be books, shoes, clothing, games, toys, old equipment that either doesn’t work or you just haven’t used it, cds, movies, etc.

What do I do with it? You can give it to Goodwill, post it on Freecycle, take it to a homeless shelter.  Or, if you want to sell it, then sell it.  But, by the 28th it needs to be out of your house (so, if you haven’t sold it by the 28th, consider giving it away).  And, if it’s completely useless, consider trashing it or recycling it.

If you decide to play along, please feel free to take a picture of your pile of “stuff” and post it on your blog (and put your link in the comments).  If you don’t blog, I’d still love to hear about the things you’re purging and pictures are always welcomed too!

Quick Introduction: Thieves oil is a blend of cinnamon, clove, lemon, Eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary essential oils that has been university tested and proven to kill 99.96 percent of airborne bacteria.

USES:

• Use the cleaner to clean oil paints right out of the brushes
• Help eliminate airborne bacteria
• Help eliminate odors
• Kill mold
• Use as a disinfectant and cleaner for anything you’d use clorox wipes on
• Use as a mopping solution
• Clean your glass and windows
• Use as an antiseptic
• May be used as a dietary supplement to help with blood clots
• Treat canker sores
• Chicken Pox (add 20 drops to 1 T of calamine or V6 complex and dab onto lesions)
• Treat colds (mix 50:50 with olive oil and massage across shoulders and neck and chest)
• Congestive cough (add a few drops to a wet, warm wash cloth and use as a compress on chest 1-2x a day)
• Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis (dilute 50:50 3-5 drops on lower abdomen 2 times daily. Can also use as a compress.)
• Ear Infection – Dilute 50:50 in warm olive oil. Apply 2 drops to a cotton swab. Using the swab, apply traces to the skin AROUND the opening of the ear, but not in it. If you have the Thieves Antiseptic SPRAY, you can spray into back of throat cavity up to 5x daily
• Epstein-Barr Virus
• Food Poisoning – put in size 00 capsules and take 2-3x per day
• Ringworm (Thieves Antiseptic Spray)
• Gallbladder Infection – use in capsule, apply to body above gallbladder area, and/or use in a compress

**Please realize this list is not a comprehensive list. Thieves has MANY uses.

When listed above, I referred to several different products that contain thieves – the oil, the antiseptic spray and the household cleaner.

Although the thieves oil can be used in any of these situations (and diluted), I have found it to be more cost-effective to buy the Cleaner solution and the Oil.

Cost:

oil – 15ml for $41.78

concentrated cleaner – 14.4 fl oz. For $28.29

(My concentrated cleaner has lasted over a year and is still half-full!)

Please note: The oil is a therapeutic grade essential oil and CAN be ingested. However, the household cleaner is not meant to be ingested. The household cleaner is a safer alternative to typical household cleaners, not only does it not harm the body through normal cleaning, but it also provides positive benefits to your body (because it contains the essential oils).

If you would like to order the Thieves oil or Cleaner, you may contact me at

bosssanders (at) gmail (dot) com

DISCLAIMER:  Although we personally use Thieves and other oils in our home, we are not doctors.  Please do not take any of this as OFFICIAL medical advice.  Oh yeh, and…the FDA didn’t approve this blog post   (There, I think that covers it.)

Hello Friends,

After offering Simply Fun Ebook last time, and receiving a load of emails from folks who had either missed the deadline or had forgotten to put me in their “safe list” (thus, their book going to spam) …and even a few folks who sent in wrong emails…I’m offering up this chance again.

I was incredibly sad to hear that after almost 36 hours of work, many people STILL weren’t getting their ebooks, so I’m wanting to make sure that you can get it NOW.  Unfortunately, last time…my bright idea of EMAILING the ebooks individually didn’t go as planned.  Sure, I emailed them all out (although a lot came back due to full inboxes, wrong emails inputted, and other errors), but it took SO long – and to not have those go through, or to have them go through to spam was a bit disheartening.  On top of that, my google email account shut me out (so if you tried emailing me about ebooks and didn’t get a response, THAT is why!  Sorry!)  But, I have come up with a better way.  I have added a new newsletter function that is separate from my email and should AUTOMATICALLY (without me!! ) add everyone that signs up and after a certain amount of sign up time, I’ll just send along a newsletter with a link for the download!  Cool Right?  Here’s the details:

This time, please sign up for my newsletter HERE.  If you’ve already signed up, you’re good.  (This is NOT the same as my RSS feed or having me in your google reader.)    A link for downloading the ebook will come to your email via my newsletter (to those who sign up within the allotted time frame).

PLEASE make sure you spell your email correctly, that you have my email in your safe list, check your spam, and make sure your email is FUNCTIONING (not full or won’t be down).  This newsletter will only be sent out once and will not be re-sent.  Also, if you have friends that you believe would be interested, feel free to direct them to this post so they may also sign up.

The DEADLINE was originally Saturday 8/14 Midnight CST but has been extended until 8/21/10 Midnight CST.  So, sign up and send this to everyone/anyone you think would be interested so they can get in!

**If you find this post but the deadline is up, I encourage you to still sign up for the newsletter as I often email out great opportunities posts that may interest you!  You may also find a link to purchase any of my ebooks immediately and directly from my website for $2-3.

**Just a note, I don’t sell or trade my email lists EVER.  And, you always have the option to unsubscribe.  I also don’t flood inboxes with a massive amount of newsletters.  What WILL you get in my newsletters?  –Just some really cool updates as they come along – generally new contests and freebies or new ebooks or tutorials or BIG news that I’m excited about.  But, I try to pack it into one occasional newsletter

Enjoy!

Ashley

I’ve been trying to pour my energy into something … productive.

SIMPLY FUN – A collection of simply fun activities for your 2-3 year old

LINK HERE.

And, with that said, I’m giving away FREE COPIES to the first 30 people anyone who responds to this by comment or email (today only).  (Although, if you don’t get in with the first 30, you can still buy your own copy for only $2!)

UPDATE:  Due to the GREAT and quick response, I will be giving away FREE copies of this ebook to anyone who responds today, by midnight CST.  (Although, please give me a bit to get it to you – like, between nap times and such – since I’m sending these out individually!)

UPDATE 2:  This giveaway is now CLOSED.  If you would still like to receive a copy, they are available for purchase at only $2!  Those who purchase ebooks should receive them almost immediately.  If you are waiting on your free ebook from the giveaway, please be patient.  I’m sending them out in manageable clusters during my breaks and have sent out approximately 200 so far.  If you absolutely can’t wait, you can get your copy immediately for only $2

I need to clear the clutter – in my home, my brain, and my schedule.

My personality is one that likes to do many things and likes to be helpful – but the downside is that sometimes I fill my schedule with meaningless but busy things and sometimes I just clutter my life without really doing the things that mean the most to me.

About a month ago, I reached out to a friend of mine – I look up to her in many ways, one of them being her search for SIMPLICITY.  She’s promised to let me “shadow” her when she gets back from a trip to see how she manages a few things in her home.  In the meanwhile, though, she sent me this great recording from Preschoolers and Peace (thank you, Sara!).  Basically, Kendra Fletcher goes through her biggest organizational tips and what works for her (she’s a mom to 7, including a baby and a 3 year old!).

Then, I had my DUH moment.

I’ve been feeling SO busy, but if I look at my planner, it’s not too full.  I mean, 2 days a week I have physical therapy which lasts about a couple of hours (including waiting) and then, I clean one day a week and that’s pretty much it.  So, why does it FEEL like I have no time and why do I feel so STRESSED?

It’s because I have no schedule since we’ve moved.

It’s because our house is a disaster area…since the move.

It’s because I have no clue where most of our belongings are since they’re in one big pile (or so it feels) in the storage building…

It’s because homeschooling hit the backburner, and I feel like I’m wasting my daughter’s time…

It’s because our kitchen/dining room just shrunk and cooking is really intimidating me in this new kitchen since most things are stored out of my reach due to storage limitations and then add in a lack of counter space….

I’m feeling claustrophobic, and no wonder why!  It’s not that I’m too BUSY…it’s that I’m not organized.  –All I want to do is read or paint, but not do the things I NEED to do.

So, this morning, I dug out my Homeschool planner and made a plan for this week (I only do a week at a time so I can move forward or focus more on a certain area as we need).  We took a 2 month break with the bankruptcy and the move and such and I feel like such a bad mommy for not having structured learning time.  It’s not that she hasn’t learned anything, it just FEELS like I haven’t taught her on purpose.  Ah, guilt.  Isn’t it lovely?

Next, I’m going to spend today making up Cleaning Zones.  We adapted these from FLY LADY but toned them down a bit because I really don’t care if you can eat off my floors or not, as long as they are clean (for being floors).  Actually, I might think you a bit odd if you licked my floors anyhow.

Then, I plan to make a very lenient daily schedule for me.

And then… a meal plan.

Recently, I received a wonderful new book in the mail – Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg MD and Zoe Franois. I had had my eye on it for a while, and I was eager to try it out. Unfortunately, life happened and my kitchen and I were separated for a while – making baking bread a bit of a difficult task.

This past week, however, Lala and I had the opportunity to try one of the basic breads from the book.

And…I love it! If you’re thinking that you can’t bake bread in just 5 minutes a day, you’re correct in that…this isn’t some microwave bread BUT it’s recipes that don’t involve kneading or punching down bread or long rising periods. You simply mix up the ingredients, let them rise, refrigerate it and pull out what you need, when you need it! Once you’ve mixed up the dough and let it rise/refrigerate, the actual ACTIVE time you spend with making of this bread is about 5 minutes…and that’s if you lost your pizza peel!

I adore carbs (in taste and theory, not particularly how they make my jeans shrink) and this book is a treasure chest full of “bread” recipes – including pizza dough, pastries, cinnamon rolls, and ….YOU GUESSED IT! Artisan Bread!

You can buy the book for $17.83 on Amazon – which is about what it’d cost to go to the bakery and buy 4 tiny loaves of Artisan Bread. My only complaint is that the recipe I used requested I have a broiler pan and … WHAT THE HECK IS A BROILER PAN? We don’t like using the “broil” option on the oven because we tend to catch things on fire, so having a special pan for it was a little new to me. Once I figured out what that was, it made things a lot easier, especially since mom had one to let me “borrow”. So, my one complaint is really just me admitting that I didn’t know what an apparently very important kitchen item was….

We’ve already made several loaves of yummy bread and are excited about trying some cinnamon rolls next week! MMM!

Buy it here: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking