THM Fuel Pull snack

This is one of my favorite FP snacks.  Very simple and fast

Wasa Light Rye

Laughing Cow

Cucumbers

Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper

Sprinkle of sea salt

yum!

My Very Simple Menu Planner

Here it is. My very simple menu planner. It's so simple I wonder what possessed me to share it. ;) Well, I guess because if I could have found a printable online that was JUST LIKE IT then I would have not even made it. I like having the little square that list what we have to do that day. It helps me a lot. Since I am doing THM (Trim Healthy Mama) I print it two-sided. On the back I write the variation for the family. With THM we do eat mostly the same thing, with the exception of starchy veggies, breads and sweets. I am moving them toward more THM meals and snacks, but I really just needed time to get myself totally adjusted to it before adding the entire family.

This is my grocery list. It is organized aisle by aisle of my local Ingles Market. I do NOT go to the store without this list!

Do you meal plan or just wing it? My family hates it when I try to just wing it! They rejoice when I say that I'm off to the grocery store. I am not kidding, it really makes them happy. They also like to cook. It's really cool!

Here is what it looks like all filled out. I am a mess.... Look at all those colors and notes.

The funny thing is I am very much a techy girl. I love my iPhone and iPad, but I have yet to be able to do my meal planning on the digital gadgets. There is something about pen and paper that helps me think. (I need all the help I can get)

Linking up with Trim Healthy Tuesdays

Banish that sink of Dirty Dishes

Oh really, Banish.....as in be gone....forever? Well, one can have high dreams and aspirations!
Are you ready?


CHINET.

Just kidding.  ;)

Seriously, we have tried paper products. With 6 of us eating 3 meals a day, plus snacks, that gets a little expensive. Not to mention the trees, if you are into that sort of thing.

 A little note about the author of this little blog. I am a child of 1969, a teen of the 1980's. Chores for me back in the day was a small list that my mother would leave out on Saturday morning. When I would stumble out of bed, say around noon, I would have to complete the task in order to be set free to "cruise town" that night. Aside from that, I did not help with the housework. I don't blame her for this. She was raised poor and worked hard. She tells me of working in the cotton fields, starching pants and rolling them up and putting them in the fridge ???? keeping house with 5 brothers and sister. I guess she just wanted it easier for me.

 I did not even wash clothes until around the age of 21.

I lived at home.

 I grumbled about not having something, some item of clothing, clean and in my room.....ha ha.....
What I got was a hamper in my room and laundry duty.

 I disliked it so bad that I would pay my mother to clean my room and my laundry.

 I married at 22.
 
 Poor fella.

It has taken me decades to learn things that most of you knew at 12.
This little lesson, banishing dirty dishes, came quiet unexpectedly. You see, I love organizing and neat little things for the house and kitchen.

As I was pondering the every-flowing stream of dirty dishes and nasty sinks AND countertop space, I clicked over to Amazon.

 Yes, I get everything from Amazon.
 Let's just get that out of the way.
 I love Amazon and the UPS truck. My hubby is okay with this.


 So, I think and ponder. I really hated that huge, 20 year-old dish drainer that took up a massive amount of space on the counter. What I got in mind was something for the sink. Something that could be cleaned easily. Something just plain neat.

Voila!
Progressive International Collapsible Over the Sink Dish Drainer  

Now, you know how Amazon is. Prices change with the wind. I paid 19.99 for this, and it was on Prime.

20 Bucks well spent.

So, how does this end the dirty dishes parade? I knew you would ask.

First, my kids love cool stuff as much as I do. The two oldest also love a clean house. (we are working on the little ones)

Get a little scrubber, like the one in the picture. It is the bomb!

This is the wheel that makes it all go around.....

As you use a dish, as your kids use a dish....and even your hubby (If he is as good natured as mine) you quickly swish it out and plop it into the drainer. When dry, put it away.

I must be such a dork. I know there are those of you laughing that it took me 20 years to figure this out.

What it has saved, besides my sanity, is the amount of loads we run in the dishwasher. We have gone from running 2 loads a day to running it once in the last 3 days. 

It's the simple things in life that butter my bread.

Have a wonderful day of home-making. Kiss those babies and smile!

Linking up here:

       

   

This post contains an affiliate link. I don't make a killing here...as a matter of fact I haven't even earned enough for a payout yet...

When Failure Isn't an Option

This is a hard post for me.

 If you know me IRL (in real life) then you know that my iPhone is always nearby. The iPad isn't far behind. We have too many PC's and they are always on. 

I remember a time when going online meant dragging the phone cord across the room and connecting it and waiting for the crazy sounds of dial-up internet.

Some days I wish it was like that again.

Is the internet and smart phones a bad thing? No way! I love them and as a homeschool mama, this mama at least, I could not do it without them. Do I wish I had never heard of facebook? Yep. A lot. That is a whole other blog post. Speaking of blog....mine was much better before social media.


Anyway, what has all of this got to do with failure? For me, a whole lot. I spend waste a lot of time. Why, because it is easier than high-school math. Easier than housework. More enjoyable than laundry and dishes. I have been way down on myself for months because I know that I run away through my gadgets, yet I still do it. My oldest is almost 18, my baby is almost 5. Time marches on. I don't like how I spend a lot of mine. 

So, I bought this little ebook  The Unwired Mom. 
I bought it when it was first released. I DID NOT read it.....wonder why?

Yesterday I read about the challenge and I knew that I had to do it.  Our school will be getting into full swing. My oldest will be a senior.....I feel the tick of the clock. I want more time. This is how I will get it!  The Unwired Mom Two Week Challenge. 

I love technology but I have known no boundaries and I have led my oldest daughter into this pit as well. I am not going to bug her about it. I am going to try to set a healthy example.

I am just jumping right in. I printed my ebook so I would not need the iPad to access the challenge. Would you like to join in?  There is a link-up to do just that. Misery loves company.....just kidding. I expect this to be a very freeing experience!




 Considering what is at stake, precious family time, failure is not an option. Besides, I have a complete collection of awesome Lamplighter books that I bought intending on reading aloud to the kiddos.



 Blessings to you! If you feel so inclined, leave a note of encouragement. I will check them during my allotted computer time. :)