Manic Monday: Part 4

 

Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of Manic Monday.  Where I give practical tips in small stages to help you take back control of your Monday's, or any day for that matter. 

 

So far I have covered getting dressed compelely where I encouraged you to get up and dressed before your kid(s) wake up.  A minor change with major impact.  In part two I encouraged you to start your day the night before by laying out clothes for the family.  A huge time saver in the morning!  Last week we talked about my easy approach to meal planning. 

 

Today I'd like to talk about your dirty laundry.  Not that kind!  The kind that seems to multiply at night and never be done.  Getting laundry done in my busy schedule has always been a struggle.  I remember back in college when I didn't have a family to care for and it was still a hassle!  I realized it wasn't doing the laundry that I was struggling with, it was my attitude about doing the laundry that was the issue. 

 

When I realized it had to be done no matter what, things improved.  I never had a problem with the washing, it has always been the folding/hanging and putting away part.  It seems to be that way for most people.  And I don't know what is so daunting about it!  However, I did realize one thing that seems to help and that's what I wanted to share today. 

 

Do a load every day, no matter what!

 

As a family of three, we generate at least one small load of clothes a day.  For a family of  5 you might have to do two loads a day.  I usually save all the whites for the end of the week and wash all of  them then.  But I wash everything else together every day. 

 

Here's the profound thing,  it's really easy to put them away when there is only one small load.  And not just shove them on the couch or toss them on the bed when the dryer beeps. When I don't stick to this, that's when things seem to get out of control.

 

Feel like laundry is running your life?  I challenge you to spend the rest of this week doing at least one load of laundry a day.  You can do it!

 

Stay Fabulous,

 

 

 

 

PSMB: Fair Fun

Today I am writing about the fun trip we recently took with Riley to the Georgia National Fair in Perry. 
Have you been to the Fair this Fall with your family?

Click on over to Peach State Moms Blog and check it out!

Stay Fabulous,

Manic Monday: Part 3

Hey everyone.  I missed writing last Monday but we took Riley on an exciting trip to the Georgia National Fair. I will be writing about that later this week on Peach State Moms Blog.  Today I am focusing on another installment in the Manic Monday series.  So far we have talked about getting dressed completely before your family wakes up and picking out your clothes the night before.  If any one has tried these two things I know you can tell a difference.

Today as I laid around the house in pain from another migraine, I was reminded of another tip that helps things run smoothly around the house. Planing your meals ahead of time.  It really saved me today because my husband was able to come home from work and cook dinner. It was wonderful that I was able to tell him exactly what to fix.  And if I had to, I would have been able to cook the meal myself.  I knew I had everything I needed, no running out to the store last minute or eating fast food for dinner. 

I do my meal planning a little differently than most.  I think it is a pretty easy way to do it.  One Saturday when things were slow and we were just hanging out, I asked my family to tell me their favorite meals.  They told them to me and we looked  through some cookbooks together.  I grabbed a stack of notebook paper and begin writing the recipes on to their own piece of paper.  It was a little time consuming but trust me, so worth it. 

By the time I finished, I had about 30 recipes to start building my meal plans.  As I went through the pages I added what side items went well with it.   For example, one sheet held the recipe for my mom's chili recipe.  I added a note to myself that I like to serve it with shredded cheese and raw onions for toppings and serve with cornbread.  Another example is spaghetti. I usually serve with a salad and garlic toast.  It was very simple.

Then I sat down with all of my sheets of paper and picked out a weeks worth of dinners.  I added in a planned day for leftovers too.  From the recipes I made my grocery list.  Checking to make sure of what items I already had on hand.  I was shocked at how little I actually had to buy at the store.  I made a deal with myself to stick to the plan and make all of the meals.  And you know what?  It was really easy to do!

You don't have to do this all in one setting like I did.  I challenge you to start tomorrow writing down what you served for dinner and what sides etc.  Soon you will have a diverse group of meals to pull from and meal planning will become easy for you.  And it will really help when mommy needs a sick day!

Stay fabulous,

PSMB: Impromptu Beach Trip

Today I am blogging about an impromptu trip to Tybee island over at Peach State Moms Blog.  Click on over there and check it out!

Stay Fabulous,

Happy Fall Y'all

Don't you just love this time of year?  It is the beginning of my favorite time of the year. It kicks off with Fall and then ends with Christmas.  Three months of the best decorating opportunities of the year!

Today I got a fun treat of helping my mom decorate her house for Fall.  She is having a party this weekend and going all out getting ready.  It was so much fun making new wreaths and pumpkin topiaries.

I realized in the last few years that I inheritied all of my creative genius from my mom.  It is so much fun getting time to share ideas and create with her now that we live close.

I snapped some pictures today and will have a tutorial of the pumpkin topiaries for you next week.  They were inspired by this picture from the October edition of Southern Living magazine. 

We will be working on this the rest of the week.  The party is on Sunday so be looking for the pictures of the final decorations and tutorial next week. 

What are you doing around the house to decorate?

Stay Fabulous,

Manic Monday: Part Two

It's Monday again and time for another installment of our Manic Monday series!  Where did the weekend go?  We were super busy around here this weekend.  Lots of fun with our friends and family.  Just the way I like it! The end of my week was a little wild you can check out the craziness here. Be sure to check out the picture of the sign the guy smashed! 

Anyway, how was everyone's week?  Anyone give getting up earlier a try?  Was it harder or easier than you thought?  How did you feel during the day?  Were you more energized?  Get a lot more accomplished?  I hope so! And if it was hard for you, let me share my tip for this week that should make mornings easier. 

Whether your morning's are hectic or not starts the night before.  Before anyone goes to bed we set out our clothes for the following day.  For Riley that means everything is laid out down to her socks and shoes.  Even her hair bow.  This is such a big help because she is old enough to put on her clothes herself and then she brings me her bow when she is ready to have her hair done. 

It also saves my sanity!  No fighting over what to wear in the morning.  Any discussion we are going to have about the outfit happens the night before.  So we're not wasting precious time in the morning and getting behind. 

I also do this for myself.  I lay out everything down to my shoes and jewelry.  It really helps me in the morning to keep things running smoothly.  Plus, lets face it.  Don't we all have some times of indecision staring in to our closets?  Think about how much time we waste!

It's a huge time saver too if you wake up late.  All you have to do is throw on your clothes and walk out the door.  This has saved us on a few occasions!  Think you can give this a try?  I bet you can!  Let me know how it goes!

Stay fabulous,