SIMPLIFY: Calendar

My one little word this year is SIMPLIFY. I hope to use it as a touchstone to guide me through a variety of areas in my life that need, ahem...a little assistance. One area is using a calendar efficiently.

Being a SAHM right now, I have a different things on my schedule than I did when I was working outside of the home. And although I have tried to organize myself in terms of appointments as well as obligations around the house (read "housekeeping"!) I never really found a system that worked. I have tried all sorts of calendars - Wall, Desk, PALM, iPhone, Outlook, Daily Dockets, Cozi, just to name a few. They all had their merits, but I never really got into them and they slowly fell off my radar and were never used. But I think I have finally found that works for me. Really. I know I've said this before on this blog, and I am really hoping I won't jinx it by sharing it here, because this one is really good. It's from Motivated Moms and it's genius.

It's part chore chart, part appointment calendar, part menu planner and part TO-DO list. I have been using it for about 3 weeks now and haven't tired of it yet. My house is clean (ok, not sparkling, but still very acceptable!), I have a central place that I am regularly checking for appointments and I am actually completing and crossing things off my to do list! Each day there is a checklist of daily chores - sort of like minimum maintenance - including basic things like making beds, wiping out bathroom sinks, laundry, empyting trash etc. It also reminds you to take some quiet time, read to your kids and excercise (OK...I haven't been crossing THAT one off enough!!!) Each day also has a few specific chores designed to get and keep your house in order - today I was reminded to change our handtowels, clean two light fixtures, maintain my houseplants, clip my kids fingernails and dust their bedrooms. It took all of 25 minutes. Tomorrow I am supposed to check prescriptions, mop the kitchen floor, clean out my fridge drawers, dust the living room, wash the porch rug (which I don't have) and clean out my car. Doing a few things like this everyday is the key to maintaining order and cleanliness in the house...not trying to do it all in a two or three hour period before your company comes for dinner and then forgetting about it for another 2 weeks! Each day also has space to record your appointments and to jot down notes or To-Dos.

The calendar is a download that you purchase and print out at home. You can get it in a few different configurations to suit your needs. I chose the Half-size Page Per Day Planner with Scheduled Bible Readings (because, yes, I am negligent in that area too). I printed the pages, cut them in half, hole punched them and repurposed my old Franklin Covey day planner binder to house it all. After a few days I got the idea to use the blank backside of the previous day to jot down things related to my business and blogs - stuff to do, stuff to post, ideas to work on, links to check out etc. It is great to have everything in one place and I really see myself using this system for the long haul.

Whichever style of planner your choose, it's only $8.00 to download. A bargain I think! And I am so delighted with it that I became an affiliate of the chore planner. Yup, you can click on the "Motivated Moms" link in my sidebar to read all about it. If you decide to purchase one of these little babies, I will receive a small amount of money for promoting the planner. It really doesn't need promoting however - you'll see it and love it. I know I do, so go & check it out for yourself!

Weekly plans

I am ready to tackle another week of eating what I have in my house right now! The grocery bill HAS been less this month since I haven't been purchasing meat etc, but I really didn't have a lot of dry goods stockpiled, so the regular breakfast, lunch and household supplies still have to be bought!

I am doing well with paying in cash though, so I hope to keep that up as it really has cut down on impulse buys! (And later this week I'll share my cute new envelopes with you!)

OK...Week #3 in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge has us enjoying:

Monday: Shake & Bake Chicken, Mushroom Rice and Broccoli

Tuesday: Loaded Baked Potato Chowder, Buns, Salad

Wednesday: I found more ground beef in the freezer than I had accounted for in my original 20 meals, so we'll use it for Homemade Hamburgers along with Oven Fries and Coleslaw

Thursday:  Shane is out at a dinner meeting, so the boys and I will clean up the leftovers

Friday: what else...pizza!

Saturday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese along with Veggies & Dip

Sunday: Meatloaf & Gravy Mashed Potatos and Peas

You can check out oodles more menu plans at I'm am Organizing Junkie. I pick a couple links at random each week, just to see what other folks are up to and to get a couple new ideas.

As far as my first week of weight loss went, well...it didn't! In fact I gained 1.5 pounds!!! Yikes! No excuses - I just didn't follow through AND I really pigged out on Saturday night when we went out. I had such yummy Greek food and I ate ALL the Pita, Tzatziki, Roasted Potatoes, Greek Salad and Souvlaki that was on my plate! So I'll try again this week...eat breakfast everyday with no cream in my coffee, have smaller portions of the main dinner meal, drink more water and excercise AT LEAST TWICE. Just wait 'til next week you little weight loss ticker...you'll see some movement then!

Adaptation and a new recipe

Brace yourselves...hubby and I went out on Saturday night. Without the kids. Yes, we did. I know it's hard to believe but we actually got ourselves organized enough to do it and to enjoy it! There was a Home Renovation and Recreational Properties tradeshow in town over the weekend, so we decided to take it in and go out for dinner afterwards. Shane's mom graciously babysat and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

But since I wasn't going to be home for dinner I wanted to make something easy for my MIL to heat up for herself and the boys. I had planned on having Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce on Wednesday night and Meatballs and Rice on Saturday. I decided to switch the meals around and then to make a Baked Spaghetti for Saturday night instead. I looked at a few online recipes for baked spaghetti, but didn't have all the ingredients on hand. So in the spirit of eating- from-the-pantry, I improvised and it turned out great! I want to jot down the recipe here so I can refer to it again.

Baked Spaghetti


1 454 gram box spaghetti
1 lb ground beef (if using extra lean there is no need to drain!)
1/2 onion, chopped fine
About 1 tbsp Italian Herb mix (or a little each of Oregano, Rosemary, Basil to taste)
S&P to taste
1 680 ml can or jar favorite pasta sauce
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese ( I used a mozza/cheddar combo since that's what I had on hand)


Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 7 or 8 minutes.


While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef along with onions in large pot/skillet until ground beef is cooked through and no longer pink, and onion is translucent. Drain if necessary. Add spices, salt & pepper, pasta sauce and parmesan cheese. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes until flavours are combined and mixture is hot. 


Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sauce to pasta and toss/stir to coat. Transfer pasta and sauce mixture to a greased 9 x 12 baking dish or to TWO smaller greased casserole dishes (this is what I did and ended up with one meal to eat right away and one to freeze for later!)


Top with shredded cheese and cover. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes (if cooking the frozen casserole, thaw first and then heat in the oven).

One small casserole served my MIL and my two young boys on Saturday night and we had enough leftover for Sunday night for all four of us, so I would say that a small casserole would serve 4 adult portions, and the large would be double - 8 portions. (Note that I also served garlic bread and salad/veggies & dip with the casserole.) My little guys loved it and cleaned their plates! This is a keeper!

A note on cost...I have been following the $5 Dollar Dinner Mom but because food prices seem to be so much more expensive here in Canada, I haven't pulled off a lot of $5 dinners! But this one was a great deal - especially because it made TWO dinners for us! Here's the approximate breakdown:

1 454 gram box pasta - $1.29
1 lb ground beef - about $1.80
1 680 ml can pasta sauce - $1.33
1/3 cup parm cheese - about  $1.25
1 cup shredded cheese - about $2.50

So for around $8.00 I made two hearty casseroles - making each one only $4.00. Not bad! Add veggies or salad and bread and it probably goes just over the $5.00 mark. It has stretched my meal plans too...even though I didn't buy any extra groceries, I now have an additional full meal frozen and waiting to be used on a busy day! And because we ate the leftovers tonight, I still have all the ingredients ready to go for the Chicken and Stuffing bake I already had planned. Love it when that type of thing happens! I feel like - "da-da-da-da...SUPER MOM!"

In an effort to save even more cash, I spent a little time trying to clip and match some coupons today. Thanks to a post on Simply Frugal a while back, I found out that London Drugs allows you to double coupons! I never knew!!! So I took the flyers from the Sunday paper and plotted out my best buys this week. I am heading to London Drugs and Safeway tomorrow (they are next to each other in the mall so I can easily shop at both stores) and will pick up a couple of good deals on Tuesday at Superstore. I will let you know if I am successful at doubling my coupons and how much I actually save! It took me about 45 minutes to sort it all out, so we'll see what my  hourly savings are and if it's truly worth it!

Excitement x 3!

I have three quick things to share that made me super excited and happy!

First, I am the guest blogger today on Simply Frugal! I have a post up about scrapping on a budget, something all us crafters deal with regularly! Taya's site is full of ways to save a little cash and is devoted to Canadian deals, coupons and offers. If you haven't dropped by, do!

Second, the design team call for Sharing Memories is up today on Scrapbook Calls and Contests. I have already had several applications, and am expecting many more after today's post is up! So exciting to meet fresh new talent!

And third, I received an email yesterday from EK Success asking me to become an instructor for their Scrapbook Design and You course! I am very excited to get started with the certification process and then be able to reach and teach a whole new group of scrapbookers! I love the EK Success products (their puches especially!) and I will be very proud to represent them!

What a great day! They say good (or bad if you're a glass-half-empty kind of person) things happen in threes, so I am very lucky that all three have to do with my favorite hobby and business!

Hope your day is a great one too!

Nice

It's nice to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day instead of dreading getting out of bed.

It's nice to be organized and on top of things instead of feeling overwhelmed and behind before the day even begins.

It's nice to see smiles on the boys faces this morning instead of grouchy pusses.

It's nice to have a good breakfast and feel like my body is being nourished instead of just fed.

It's nice to see the sunshine instead of gray skies.

It's nice to get dressed and put on this lovely Christmas gift from Shane - a reminder of my little family.

Family Tree Necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

It's nice to receive emails from friends instead of spam and form emails.

It's nice to think of the possibilities of the day ahead instead of the obligations.

It's nice to look at things through rose colored glasses for a change.

It's a really nice day.

Challenges

As if I haven't given myself enough of a challenge this month by following the Eat from the Pantry challenge, I decided that this is as good a time as any to start losing some weight! I wrote last April how I had always struggled with my weight and had started following Bob Greene's Best Life Diet. I did lose a few pounds (3.6 to be exact) but once more fell off the wagon after a couple of weeks. At least those pounds haven't come back, but I still need to lose MANY more. Again, more importantly I realize that I need to become stronger and more fit so I can keep up with these two crazy boys of mine (well, three boys if you count hubby!) But since I have planned out menus for the month based on food that needs to be used up, I decided what I will do is cut back on the portions of the main dishes I planned, make sure I am eating more veggies and fruits as well as calorie conscious breakfasts and lunches, and drinking more water. I also will try to focus on incorporating excercise back into my life...walking, small weights and using the Wii Fit (which I did yesterday - yay!) I also am posting a ticker tape on my sidebar as a visual reminder to myself that I have 25 pounds to lose (I am the type who NEEDS accountability!) I'll keep you posted.

So last week was great in terms of eating as planned, reducing shopping trips and staying on budget, and I'm planning to keep it that way for this week! I did make one switch up...we felt life having Steak this past Saturday night so I made that meal instead of the Baked Macaroni. It was so nice to know that I had lots of choices in the house! Anyway, here's my choices from the 20 meals I can make right NOW for this week.


Monday: Salmon in Teriyaki Sauce with Rice and Broccoli

Tuesday: Shane is at a meeting, so the boys and I will have Chicken Nuggets, Oven Fries, Veggies & Dip (lots of veggies and no dip for me!)

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce, Salad and Garlic Bread (meatless)

Thursday: Leftover buffet (Thursday is usually leftovers night since we have accumulated a fair bit of them in the fridge by now!)

Friday: Pizza night...just 1 or 2 pieces for me and loads of salad! And I guess I should forgo my red wine...sigh.

Saturday: Meatballs and Rice with Mixed Veggies

Sunday: Chicken and Stuffing Bake

I will post my weight loss results along with next week's menu plan next Monday. Don't forget to check out more menu plans on http://www.orgjunkie.com/ and Eat From the Pantry Updates on Money Saving Mom!

And, watch for a guest post from me on Simply Frugal on Thursday...I'll make sure to come back and link to it!

Menu Plan Monday

Over the next four weeks I will be making my meal plans based on the 20 meals I can make with what's in my house NOW. To keep me organized, I'll go back to the original post and cross off the items as I incorporate them into a weekly plan. OK... this week I'm choosing:

Monday: Shepherds Pie and Salad

Tuesday: Sweet and Tangy Chicken, along with Rice and Broccoli

Wednesday: Hamburger Soup, Buns and Salad

Thursday: Leftovers of above!

Friday: Pizza night!

Saturday: Baked Macaroni and Cheese, with Veggies & Dip

Sunday: Ham, Scalloped Potatoes and Mixed Veggies

Don't forget to check out LOTS more meal plan ideas at http://www.orgjunkie.com/ and the almost 300 other bloggers who are participating in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge!


I'll check in with the grocery bills later in the week!