Re-Use Formula Tins

Trying to stream-line the house is becoming more and more difficult  now everything has a home, I have been saving the formula tins for a "rainy day". Then the other day as Master A was throwing them around the study and I was trying to tip-toe around them and not trip on my face, how silly a idea it was to save them considering he has moved on to toddler milk so we won't run out tins in the future.

I started to investigate ways to use them and then actually DID it! Instead of writing a list I got up and followed through, baby steps but Pinterest I have you in my sights! "I'm a Pinner, not a Do'er" No More!

Some of these ideas I haven't tried but I can't wait to give them a go...Poor Master A clung to his last two tins and ran off down the house with them to save them from crazy crafty mummy, it's ok I got them back while he was asleep Muahahaha!

I still need to do 13,14,15 and 18...and give Master A back two so he can have his drums back :/ bad mummy...

1. Use them in the shed for nuts & bolts and all that other man stuff
2. Use a drill to make patterns on one and create a candle holder, I have mine all drawn on with marker ready for hubby.
3. Good ol' drum set
4. Store plastic bags in, just cut a "X" in the lid
5. Pour unwanted oils in and put in freezer
6. Store dead batteries in to dispose of safely
7. Store buttons, ribbons, safety pins, beads, marbles all those little crafty things
8. Store home made laundry detergent or anything that isn't liquid
9. Cut a hole in the lid and stuff full of scrap fabric, I ripped up a old sheet I was just going to toss but make sure you check for fraying and make sure its cut long enough to avoid choking but short enough to avoid strangulation 
10. Paint cans
11. Ashtray, I put one on the front step so hopefully one of hubby's friends will get the hint they go in there and not on our front lawn. 
12. Rolling rattle toy, I just stuffed some soft drink lids and other crap that I didn't want Master A putting in his mouth in, you can hot glue or duct tape the lid down if your worried about it being opened
13. Make a cookie can for presents or any baked treats.
14. Colour coded tins for a colour matching game
15. Centrepieces
16. Paint and put a animal themed stencil on one for pet treats, I've also used one for animal meds
17. Put a slit in lid to put lids into, just make sure they aren't too small, like the soft drink lids.
18. Bolt to a bit of wood and paint a nice colour for the entry or back door storage

Next week I think I'm going to tackle toilet and cardboard rolls, do you have anything you have saved for a rainy day that you don't really know what to do with?

I shall upload photos onto my facebook page tomorrow as it is alot easier than uploading them onto the blog...or maybe I'm just not doing it right? LOL

Wk 29 SYL Paper & Information Management

UGH! I had to make myself a cuppa for this one hehe

I have just organised my office again, but i know my filing cabinet needs a weed out but "out of sight, out of mind" you know?

At the moment our collection area is the dinning room table, I can't wait to have a nice area in the new entry way. Although I need to do something for receipts to keep them under control and sorted for tax time.

I'm in the process of putting my routines in my iPhone as I have my planner open on the day, and I keep forgetting to open it a few pages back.

I keep items that need action on my roll out desk drawer under my desk, very handy.

I have a two drawer filing cabinet, the lower level has all our warranties and instruction manuals, although I think I might add a folder for what each item is. The top level is for everything else.

And a four drawer little desk cabinet that I have my business paperwork in one drawer and another drawer for the sustainable housewife blog and page, one for hubby and one for me.

I need to catch up on my emails mine are currently at 10400 something eeek! I plan on going through the days emails plus another 10 and hopefully I will catch up soon. :/

SYL Wk 28 Cleaning

Oops I didn't realise how much time had passed with my head stuck in my new business.
Reading through Week 28, again I am in my element after all this is why I started my blog. To set up cleaning routines and see my progress. It has helped immensely I can't believe the transformation in just five months. I can't believe the way we used to live YUCK!
I love Flylady's 15 minute approach, and have slowly worked out a weekly, daily, monthly plan. But if I miss some things it is ok because I focus on one part of the house for one week so I know it will come around in another month, takes a lot of stress off me.
If you want to check out this post about my routines or my facebook page I try to post up twice daily 5 minute missions to keep you motivated. I also post up de-cluttering missions to keep on top of clutter because if your house is cluttered it's impossible to clean.

Sunday Review

I haven't done a weekly wrap up or a blog for that matter for a little while, I decided to start my own business! HA bet no one saw that coming! To be honest, neither did I but I'm loving every minute of it.
It all happened rather quickly, a local pet minding franchise was selling and they wanted a bit of money for it but after going to the accountant and seeing the figures it just didn't look like a good deal to have to pay back that loan for nearly four years before I started to see a profit. My mum, even before I saw the accountant said, "why don't you start your own business?"
"Don't be silly! I couldn't do that!" I replied in horror, the idea scared the pants off of me! But after seeing the accountant and mulling over the business I could see the potential and the excitement grew.
Also seeing the horrible news about the local dog thefts for suspected dog fighting in Newcastle just broke my heart, I mean people have to work to have the life they want for them and their pets they can't stay at home worried about some low life stealing their dogs. I was upset I couldn't do anything to help I felt so useless! Now with the business I can be with people's pets to deter these sorts of pets, I get a lovely warm fuzzy feeling.
I floated the idea on local mummy and pet fb pages and the response was great, so I jumped in and set the business up. I try not to think to far ahead otherwise I'll just scare dinner out of me, and just focus on one day at a time. I already have a client and starting another client this week, helping her get on top of housework while she recovers from a sore knee. And kitty sitting a friends cat who's made himself right at home :)
I still have to pinch myself that I get paid to walk and cuddles these gorgeous animals, talking to my dad and nan about my business yesterday at lunch and they couldn't believe how much I charge to just walk a dog, they nearly fell off their seats when I told them that I have undercut the other pet minders in the area and also offer half priced on your fifth visit and seniors get 10% off all year round. It is unbelievable the prices that some people pay and I'm not in it for the money I do it because I love animals and it makes me so happy to see them happy.
And Master A is walking now! it happened rather quickly too, the same speed the business grew he would walk that little bit longer, take that extra step every day and now he's a real little boy. It's a perfect example to make sure I don't become so consumed by the business and to take notice of my family.

wk 26 & 27 SYL challenge

wk 26 is about simplifying what we have, make sure everything has a home and it lives where it makes sense to us, not our mother or neighbour but to the people living in the home. And to really take notice of our hot spot areas, glad to know I'm not the only one who uses that terminology, and to assign homes to the hot spot items.

When I have a hot spot growing, I like to clear it then put something pretty or functional there it makes it a whole lot less likely that I'll let piles pile up again.

Since moving back into our own home, I've been very mindful of where things go. For instance, in the kitchen the cups were in another cupboard a few steps away from the kettle and in a smaller cupboard, crazy right?! I de-cluttered my plastics and jars I've collected and swapped where they lived, that led onto the whole pantry and every other cupboard and drawer being inspected and changed, lucky I have a teeny tiny kitchen so it only took half a hour.

wk 27 is about starting to create routines. I'm in my element! At the start of the year I didn't have any routines and was always playing catch-up, it was so stressful. Now with the routines I have in place I feel a lot less calmer and I still can't believe it was so easy. Now the blog and Facebook page are helping me stay on track as well.

I post a lot of my routines and the like on my blog and Facebook page daily so feel free to have a look for more of a idea. But some of the routines that pop into my mind, are meal planning for a month and buying the groceries once a month, using the slow cooker. Just dump the food in and in 8 hours...hello, dinner!

I clean out my fridge once a week and check the pantry once a month.

I bought a planner at the end of June and a business card holder. I love both of them and don't know how I ever lived without them.

I have a weekly review of my week usually on a Sunday and plan for the week ahead and write up a little blog to keep my motivated.

Hubby says he is going to make a covered entry room so I can have a big launch pad for mornings, I can't wait! Will definitely blog about it when it happens.

Natural Spider Repellent

Ever since having my son, I've become a whole lot more wary of using sprays and items that have ingredients I can't even pronounce. I'm slowly but surely replacing and finding alternatives for the chemicals I use.

I hate spiders! I'm ok if its a non-venomous spider and when they're on the other side of a big room, they can sit there and eat all the bugs they like. Any my cats love to watch them walk and try to catch it, if they have ever caught a spider I haven't found remains yet *shudder* I hope I never do. But if the spider is in the hallway or right over my head, or it is poisonous. I feel bad but you really have to go!

We have the old style sash windows, with lots of lovely places for spiders to hide. When we moved back after renting out our house for six months the cobwebs and red-backs made me have to put my head between my knees and breath into a paper bag. I grabbed the hardcore bug spray and sprayed the windows then grabbed the vacuum cleaner and sucked the webs and spiders up. After panicking that a spider had managed to escape the spray and gotten inside the house! And my neighbour and I ripping the lounge and blankets apart to make sure it was safe, well ok. I ripped everything apart while my neighbour pee'd herself laughing.

So now the windows are spider clear I want to find a natural way to keep the spiders away.

Did you know spiders taste through there feet? Lucky they have eight!

All you need is a citrus essential oil mixed with water in a spray bottle. That's it! But make sure it's essential oil as it seems to be more potent.

Spray this across the doorsteps and windows, really anywhere you don't want the spiders to make a home, but make sure it dries before letting pets and children near it.

So hopefully with this natural repellent my lovely neighbour can have some peace and quiet from now on. :D

Cleaning Bath Toys

Ashton & I love his rubber ducky and dinosaurs but I don't love the black gunk that builds up inside, it doesn't matter how much I squeeze after bath time and make sure they air dry till next bath, they all ways end up nasty and I just wanted to rip my hair out!

I googled how people clean their bath toys and was surprised at how many parents have just chucked out the rubber bath toys in favour of plastic jugs. While it solves the build up issue we enjoy the toys to much to just throw them out.

I grab a bucket, 5L or around that size

1/2L warm water to 5L vinegar, you can play with the ratio

I fill the toys with the vinegar/water solution and squeeze it all out, I repeat a few times then fill them up and leave till bath time

For the things with suction caps on the back I grab a old toothbrush and brush all around and over the caps and also go over the animals air holes, there is usually one on the mouth/back and one on the bottom of the animal

Give a good rinse and squeeze out a few times with fresh water before putting back in the bath for bath time

This is also a great way to clean the caps of your non-slip mat that sits in the bath if you have one

And since its environmentally friendly your kids can help if they are at that age to teach them about helping out with their toys- don't tell them I suggested that! 

Weekly Wrap Up

This week has gone by in a blur of sickness, poor Ash has been hit by everything this week and today has come out in a rash I rang gp access and apparently its just a part of having the 12 month immunisations, but we are booked in to our doctor tomorrow to check how his ear is going after our Monday visit and we found he did have a ear infection so he's been on antibiotics for the week at least something has gone right this week.

Went for a walk with my neighbour, Ash and Cleo on Sunday it was lovely, I've forgotten what a workout it is pushing Ash and the pram! And I've decided to do 50 sit ups in the morning to try and tone my tummy now the pouch is gone from all the walking I've done I get to 30 and want to die LOL

some good news! my iphone is working again! I have my life back :D

Tomorrow is the start of my new planner and hubby and I have decided each pay we are going to put a grand aside towards renovations and debt repayment so hopefully this time next year, we will have all the renovations done and all our debts paid off except for my car loan which will hopefully be able to be consolidated onto the home loan, I'm really excited that we are both working towards our goals hopefully we can keep each other motivated!

I'm really pleased how well the house is running with all the routines I've set up, it almost takes care of itself it seems but I'm still not entirely happy how I run my blog and fb page, this week I'm making it my goal to tick off all my planned posts and get up nice and early

RIP Iphone

This morning I felt like my world was ending, I had just ducked into Master As room to get a shirt and jumper while daddy was on the couch watching him, silly me thinking everything would be ok just because dad was there, rookie mistake!  -.- I walk back in to find Master A using my iPhone as a biscuit to dunk into my tea, even though I was mortified I couldn't help but think how darn cute he was being so gentle giving my phone a bath.
I rescued my phone, turned it off and put it in the sun. Little did I know that would be the last time I would get to use my phone. I raced to the local Apple and Vodafone store, picked up a $20 cheapie phone that only makes calls and texts. That's it. No Facebook.No Internet. No games. No camera. None of the little aps i waste my day on.
I. Could. Cry!
Its been six hours since the Phone Dunking Incident or PDI for short, and in those hours I've come to realise how much the iPhone takes up of my day, its just a little bit here and there so you don't really notice it, but it all adds up and how I'm actually using my time, total fail really!
I'm playing with Ashton more, really getting down on his level. We put the dishwasher together and ran its first cycle- yipee! ( I think that is husband guilt right there though- but I'm going to milk this for all I can) I realised my routines weren't working for me, well they would work a whole lot better if they were right there when I woke up instead of in a room I don't go into till after another hour of being a zombie on the couch- darn body clock! can't sleep till midnight then takes hours to wake up gahhhh so annoying! So I'm writing them up in my new planner to keep on my night stand so I see it when I first wake up in Zombie Mode. Oooh I love it, I'd take a photo to show you, but ya' know... phone's dead... darn
Of course too late, I figure out Outlook can sync your notes from your Iphone to your computer I'll try that as soon as I get my new phone.
Who knows, maybe I might become more productive without being connected 24/7. I read a interesting article last night about someone who turned off for a month it was really interesting, I'd post the link that I had saved but...yeah...phone's dead and I can't remember it

Oh God! I miss my iPhone!

Frugal Friday- Power Reads

I love my books, when I was younger I was the biggest bookworm, now I'm older I find the time to enjoy a book less and less. Deb from Home Life Simplified introduced me to Power Reads a few months ago and I love it! I signed up for the emails and I get a list of free e-books for the day that I can download to my iPhone. As a hardcore book lover it took me a little while to get used to the coldness of reading this way, I miss the smell of books and flicking through the pages. But I do love that they're not taking up space in my tiny house, that it's one less thing my toddler can rip off the shelves and something more valuable can go higher up now. And my toddler can't rip the book from my hands to have a "read" himself, when I say "read" I mean chew and destroy. And if we ever move again I won't have to move them, saving money and time and did I mention this is FREE! Yipeee! I must have saved $150 since I started, the most expensive book I got for free was $30 but most are for $0.99-$5.00

Got. To. Love. That!

My week & SYL wk 24 Clutter Prevention

This week I've been under the weather, taking care of Master A who had his one year needles then developed croup. State of Origin night we slept in the lounge room because he screamed in his room I finally got over my fear of "should I move him? It might wake him up, maybe I should just leave him...what if he rolls into his toys and wakes himself up anyway? Or one of the animals treads on him?" And moved him to his cot at midnight, he didn't even stir lucky me!

I dusted off and updated me resume, and sent it to a company looking for a weekend receptionist. Fingers Crossed!

 Friday saw me curled up on the couch feeling blah and sorry for myself, when some people I knew stopped in for a cuppa. Actually getting up and doing something made me feel a little better. And the weather is nice for a change! 11 weeks till Spring...not that I'm counting :D

Week 24 Clutter Prevention

I love this week! I had the biggest clutter problem a few years ago, but I couldn't see it, everyone else could but I couldn't see any problem with it after all I needed all this stuff! it's not clutter if you need it.

The things that helped me, was moving and having to pack everything up but I know that's not possible for everyone.
When we moved back, I looked at each room and labelled them, master bedroom, spare and computer room, Master A's room, kitchen, lounge room and dinning room. And listed what goes in there, while unpacking I made sure to put likes with other likes then purged the excess. If I couldn't decide where a item should go, I packed it up into a storage container to be opened later. I kept all our nick-nacks packed away. Just because they were packed away didn't mean I loved them any less.

I made sure when items were put away that they each had there space, if they couldn't fit, I purged and packed away or donated again.

I still do this even six month later I go through each room and really look at what is in there, if there are things that don't suit, fit, belong or I haven't used it in six months or really looked at it and enjoyed it and I can't figure out where to put it. Into a storage container it goes.

If I found I was still piling I cleaned the surface off and put something pretty or functional in the middle of the hotspot, having something there made me not want to start to make a mess.

It's really been a big help having my five year goals written down, even hubby is excited about them and we've started brainstorming how to get them achieved. Its really exciting when your family is on board with your goals :)

{FRUGAL FRIDAY} Saving energy

Today is the first post of what I like to call Frugal Fridays. Today's post is all thanks to Amber, who posted a question on my facebook page about slow cookers being energy efficient.

I did some digging and found two posts that clear it up, the first is from Ergon, a Australian electricity company that lists the cents/hour. It is a great starting point but this post from the SA government has a handy how-to guide I love to do things for myself rather than take someone's word for it, especially when it comes to my hard earned money, ok hubby's hard earned money.

Do you have any energy saving websites you love to use?

My Daily Missions How I Clean

I've broken my home up into zones to make cleaning more manageable and so I don't get overwhelmed as I don't have huge chunks of time to clean, and really even if I  did I wouldn't want to!

There are four zones so each month a bit of my house gets a going over, I put my timer on for 5/10 minutes and once it buzzes I either stop or I have a rest and do another 5/10 minutes but trying to beat the timer is great motivation and I rarely need to reset.

Because a bit of my house gets seen every month If I don't get something done, I don't stress because I know I'll get to it in another few weeks and even a little bit done still is better than nothing, just keep chipping away!

I post my missions on my facebook page I would love to know if your joining in with me! And even if when i post its not a good time for you, you can always do the mission when it suits you.

I also have weekly, monthly, six monthly etc tasks which I'll post up as well and what I'm doing throughout the day :)

Home Made KFC

Ingredients

• 2kg chicken legs
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 beaten egg 
• 1 cup milk

Method

1. add seasonings and flour into a plastic bag and shake well to mix
2. add egg to milk and mix well
3. dip chicken legs in egg wash, then into flour, shake well to coat
4. lay legs onto an oiled baking tray, spray lightly with cooking spray if desired
5. bake in moderate oven, about 180 degrees, for 25-30mins, turning once or twice until chicken is cooked through and browned.

Slow Cooker Tuna Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 tin cream of mushroom soup
• 300mls cream
• 2 large tins tuna with brine, dont drain
• 2 cups uncooked pasta
• 2 cups frozen mixed veges
• 3 shallots chopped
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Method

1. add all ingredients to cooker except cheese
2. cook low 5 hours or high 3 hours, about 30 mins before serving, stir in cheese.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized pumpkin
• 2 carrots
• 1 medium sized potato
• 1 onion
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp chicken stock powder
• 2 cups boiling water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cream

Method

1. peel pumpkin and cut into even chunks
2. peel potato and cut into even chunks
3. peel carrots and cut into even pieces
4. dice onion and place vegetables in slow cooker
5. in a mug mix stock and spices, fill mug with 1 cup water and mix
6. add liquid to slow cooker and cook on low 4hrs or high 2hrs
7. blend with a electric mixer and add cream

Cottage Pie

(serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 450g beef mince

• 1 large onion, chopped finely

• 2 medium carrots, chopped finely

• the leaves of 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• 400g tin of tomatoes

• 1-2 tbsp tomato paste

• 290ml beef stock

• dash Worcestershire sauce

• mashed potato topping

Method

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees
• add olive oil over medium heat, add mince, onion and carrot, stir until beef is browned and vegetables are soft.
• Add herbs and stir for a minute, stir in Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and stock, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. season to taste.
• Boil and mash potatoes. Pour mince into casserole dish and cover with potato and cook for 30 minutes.

Apricot Chicken

Ingredients

8 Chicken Pieces

500g apricot nectar

1pkt french onion soup

1 brown onion, diced

Method

Place chicken pieces in casserole dish with soup and onion, season with salt and pepper and add nectar and stir. Cover and bake at 180 degrees for 1 hr and 30 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday- Apricot Chicken

Tuesday- Cottage Pie

Wednesday- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup

Thursday- Slow Cooker Tuna Casserole

Friday- Homemade KFC

Saturday- Leftovers

Sunday- Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

SYL wk 23 & How I organise my wardrobe

Week 23! I still can't believe I'm all caught up! Such a great feeling :D

This week is all about our wardrobes :/ ugggh!

I'm going to try and do this for the change of season, so every six months or so. The thing that drove me absolutely bonkers though was my UNDIES! And I finally sorted them once and for all! And it was so easy I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. And you can do this for any item that you have alot of, not just undies.

I had a drawer FULL to the brim with undies, it was so full I couldn't shut the drawer.

First, what I did was folded them and stack them, they made four piles in the drawer to fit them all in. Then when I would get dressed in the morning I would make a effort to actually think about what I was putting on, did they have any holes? Stains? I found a pair that, I think got bleach on them! Has the elastic gone? Were they too tight? If it was a yes in the bin they went!

When I did the laundry and went to put my clean clothes away I put the undies, I also did my socks, for a month till I got through them all, in my dresser. It can be anywhere you don't usually go for your undies, even a storage container under the bed! Now, I'm really ashamed to say this but it took three whole months to reach the last of my undies and I tossed half of what was in my drawer.

With my other clothes I turned my hangers facing the opposite way to how I usually have them, then every time I wore a item and washed it I turned the hanger back the 'right' way, so I could easily see what I had worn and what still needed to be worn and If I wasn't wearing it, why not? And should I donate it?

I kept a donate box in the bottom of my wardrobe to easily put items I wanted to donate then when the box was full in to the car it went! Nice and easy :)

What are your tips for a tidy wardrobe? Would love to hear them :)

SYL Week 22- Declutter

Week 22 is about de cluttering. If you had to move what would you take with you? When I finally organised my photos a few weeks ago I couldn't believe the amount of STUFF that was crammed into my little house, it felt claustrophobic and I thought moving would fix it. But of course I needed all this STUFF and hubby had a room crammed full of STUFF so why should I try?
Then we did move and we turned it into a game who could get rid of the most STUFF, two giant glass cabinets family gave us were left at our father in laws big house where they fitted in much better and looked like they belonged rather than jammed into our little house, looking out of place.

Moving back to our little house, I have used plastic storage tubs to contain things we're not using or don't have room for just yet to keep the house looking tidy and its so easy to do, I don't know why I didn't do this before. And I also have another plastic tub for donations to the Salvos in the lounge room.

But this has been a work in progress I have been getting the emails from Flylady for years but ignored them thinking "I don't need them, I don't have a problem, I NEED all this STUFF" It has helped having a clear vision for each room to slowly work through all my stuff.

And i've been thinking of having a regular 27 fling boogie on my FB page

SYL wk 14-21 - Time Management & Home Audit

Week 14 is all about Planning Time Management, perfect timing once again! I've been meaning to get a diary and planner for a few weeks now but have been procrastinating, so first thing tomorrow I will be heading down to the news agency to have a look at what's on offer

This week was my office, bathroom and laundry zone, I mostly spent my week in the office and neglected the others, not that they were terrible to begin with, luckily. So I have culled two laundry baskets worth of paper into one folder- yipeee! it looks so much nicer now I know not as exciting as re-organising the lounge room, its nothing you can bring your friends round to ooh and aaah over.

Trying to organise the office was a nightmare with a toddler wanting to help and inspect every bit of paper that's around and mess up my nice piles. And babysitting a friends cat that wants to catch the mouse cursor and letters as I type them and walk on the keyboard as I'm trying to type.  

Week 15  is about conducting a time audit. Have a look at how you are spending your time and making sure the way you spend your time is helping you reach your goals.

I've written out my 5 year plan and 2012 plan and worked backwards for monthly goals, to at least try and move towards my goals and make sure I hit them by NYE

Week 16 is about slowing down, making sure you fit in things for yourself and only choosing 2-3 important tasks for each day instead of piling on the pressure. I love the sound of that, I think it will help when I get to the weekly to-do list.

Week 17 is about decision making, being decisive i love the line, "Focus on what next action you need to take and do it" That really jumped out at me for some reason.

Week 18 Was all about stopping procrastination, I have a procrastination list I try to tackle one thing every week. Still a few things left on it though.

Week 19 We are talking about routines, I love routines they make me feel so organised and calm knowing what comes next and being able to tick things off and look back at the end of the day and see I actually did things.

I have a morning and afternoon routine, a weekly routine, a monthly routine, I have a cleaning routine and set day routines, for example, dumping everything and organising everything off my phone is on the 7th of every month. or washing my poodle on a monday.

What areas cause you stress in your life? Would a routine help?

Week 21  Had to laugh when Deb mentioned being more intentional about what we buy, I have just started cutting out things of catalogues and sticking them to my cork board instead of stuffing the catalogue away for later. Much neater and its on display, much more motivation for saving those coins at the end of



                                  

Mid Week Treat- One Minute Choc Cake

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp & 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp & 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2-3 tsp vegetable or cocnut oil
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

• Combine dry ingredients and mix very well
• Add liquid and stir through then transfer to ramekin or even a coffee mug and microwave for 30-40 seconds

And if your feeling like you need a extra hit of chocolaty goodness...

Chocolate Fudge Frosting- serves 10 so plenty left over!

Ingredients

• 80g butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

• In saucepan melt butter and dissolve brown sugar over medium heat then add the milk and bring to the boil, remove from heat
• Sift cocoa and icing sugar and blend into butter mixture and add vanilla

Note- if too stiff add more milk

SYL wk 11- Grattitude

Perfect timing with starting Thankful Tuesday on my fb page. I'm a big believer in a gratitude journal, even if it is in bullet points about what went right that day.

When Ashton is old enough I think we will start to share three things we are grateful for before bed, sounds like a great part of a bedtime ritual.

The following is taken from Week 11- there are some excellent ideas.


Practical ideas for developing a gratitude and 


kindness practice

Send out thank you’s / say thanks to people you deal with in your life

• great service you received
• a family member you appreciate
• a teacher you had or one your child has/had
• someone who helps with your child (a tutor/ instructor,  care giver/babysitter)

Give your partner acts of service without any expectations of reciprocity

• massages
• chores they normally handle
• letting them choose (restaurant, DVD, date night)
• offer to be the designated driver even if it is not your “turn”
• pack them a lunch (and include a note)

Volunteer or participate in your community

• donate children’s books to waiting rooms at doctor’s offices, hospitals, dentists, etc
• visit a nursing home with your children
• deliver coffee and treats to your local school administration office
• offer up your skills and services for free to teach someone else or assist them
• help a local teacher with “busy work” (copying, sorting etc) or provide extra supplies they need
• mow your neighbour’s front lawn while you are already out there

Slow down

• let someone go ahead of you in line at the shops or in traffic
• give up a parking space or stop to let someone know you are heading to you car so they can have your space
• stop to give directions to someone who seems lost
• check on someone you see get hurt
• help an elderly person load their groceries into their car
• write a letter or make a phone call to someone important to you

Be supportive of others

• babysit for friends
• bring food to a new mother and stop to help with her laundry or whatever she really needs
• cheer on a friend in a race
• give your friend a book you know she will love or that will help her
• comment on every blog post you read today and show that person they are being heard
• let someone else win the argument this time

Challenge for week 11: Incorporate this into your daily life. Start a gratitude journal, express thanks to others, set out to do random acts of kindness, look for a volunteer role in your community, or buy nice cards and write a whole heap of thank you letters- maybe start with your nearest and dearest , choose to be kinder every day and let things go.

Organising Photos

I'm lazy- i'll admit it, if there is a easier way to do something i'll take it! This week i'm in the office, laundry and bathroom. And I wanted to share how I organise my photos, honestly i thought i had a lot of photos before Master A lol what a shock!

Trying to organise my photos was mind-numbing, going through each and every one was taking forever and I would stop and reminisce every third or fourth photo.

1. In views I turned the photos to "details" it turned them into a stock photo and brought up when they were taken.

2. I then sorted them into years, then each year I sorted into month. All the big experiences I put into their own folder, titled: Cruise 09, Wedding etc. For my son I made a folder titled Ashton, then in Ashton, I have folders for each month titled 0 June 11, 1 July 11, etc etc so from birth they would be in order. Same for the pets, I have 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. Then in each year the months, 1 Jan, 2 Feb, 3 March etc. I have one titled Internet for all my screen grabs and downloaded photos, put into Funny, Inspirational, Weekday, Weekend, Parenting, Crafts

3. Now this one takes a little longer but its now broken into a manageable size, I go through each month and decide on the best photos to keep and any I want printed are copied and go into a special "To Print" album.

SYL wk 10- How to face your fears

Week 10 is all about fears this is a hard one for me its not something I give a lot of thought too, mostly I listen to my body it will tell me when I'm fearful I have a physical reaction, my body tenses, my tummy does somersaults, I sweat.

The most recent time this happened was when I was contemplating going heart and soul into blogging about sustainability and being a SAHM, none of this wiffal-waffle blogging I had done before. And it scared the pants off of me! I remember my mum always said if its not scaring your pants off its not worth doing. I had to think about why I was so nervous.

Putting myself out there for judgement, what if I wasn't "good" enough? There are so many great bloggers already! I countered with it doesn't matter, I'm doing this for myself. If people don't like what I have to say, what of it? They will just click next. Of course I don't know what I'm doing, how can i if I've never done it before? Jump in give it a go and if it doesn't work out move onto something else.

And I'm so glad I did

SYL wk 9- Go easier on yourself

Simplify Your Life wk 9 challenge is all about being kinder to yourself. I love this as it is something Flylady constantly brings up,

"The voices that you hear in your head...We are going to quiet those negative voices that are beating you up constantly and replace them with a loving, gentle voice...Everything we do is going to help you replace those voices that put you down."

The mantra I love is

SYL wk 8- Happiness

Week 8 is all about Happiness, What makes you happy? What takes away from your happiness?

1. Think about what makes you happy, and what are the hurdles that come between you and happiness.
2. Create a happiness list,  or I have a Pick-Me Up Jar which I suppose is a happiness list in 3D. If you're having a mind blank a gratitude journal is a great way to focus on your happiness. every night jot down the things that day that you are grateful for, what made you happy and what went right. 
3. Do one thing from your list a day

SYL wk 7- Create a vision board

This weeks challenge was to create a vision board for how you want 2012 to look like, I also added some longer term goals like my dream house and dream car.

I created mine by using images I found on Pinterest, then uploaded them to Oprah dreamboard you will need to sign up but it is free I can't wait to explore the website. I set my vision board as my computer backdrop and uploaded a private photo to my Facebook as I didn't want everyone seeing my photo, then saved it on my phone and used it as my screen saver on my iPhone, now its the first thing I see in the morning and usually the last thing I see when I go to bed, what a great way to keep my goals in focus!

SYL- wk 6 Setting Goals

This weeks challange was to Set Goals for the rest of 2012, perfect timing since half the year is nearly gone.

Health- Drink 2L/dy and walk 3x/wk

Try one new thing a month

Family- Board game, pizza and movie night once a week and pencil in date night with hubby once a month for dinner

Sustainability- Work on the garden and put chook pen up

Finance- Save $50/wk

Community- Find things to be involved in that include Master A, for instance the morning tea this week is at my house, so he can still be a part of it

I realised that all these goals are things I can put into my daily or weekly routine, feeling pretty good about that!

SYL wk 4- The Wheel Of Life

I have been a little slack in keeping up with Simplify Your Life Challenges but ready to jump back in.

This week I am on Week 4- Assessing Your Life Balance using the wheel of life

I feel as I've continued to blog and use my Facebook page to work through my home my areas have lifted somewhat, so yay! go me!

My 8 Categories are and how I rate them at the moment:

My marriage                                            4
my family (me, hubby and Master A)           3
my extended family                                    3
my friends                                                3
my home                                                  3
my health                                                 3
the community                                           2
creativity                                                  3

I'm pretty happy with how everything is balancing I would like to work on "community" a bit more. I've started by being a host for The Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for the Cancer Council, which is exciting because so many people I know have been hurt from cancer, my grand father in law passed away last year and my step mother is fighting cancer since last year, they found out the day after Master A was born which is a little difficult it's not something you like to associate with the birth of a new family member.
And my health is another one I need to work on, I've been sick for most of the year, or recovering from being sick, nothing major just the coughs, sniffles or other annoying thing. I think its some sort of sickness payback for being sickness free when I was pregnant.

Trust your instincts

Trust your instincts, too often we push down that little voice inside of us or that feeling in our tummy. Today, I had one of those feelings.

Poor Ashton was busy screaming his little lungs out this morning and I was a little frazzled when Cleo started to growl and yap madly too, then I heard a lady out the front knocking, I answered the door to a lady asking if a Tracy Jones (names have been changed) lived here, I replied " no, sorry. I've lived here for three years". A little odd I thought someone asking for someone after so long. She apologised and left, but I saw her car and husband still in the driveway.

She came back 5-10 minutes later and asked to use my phone and that she had money to pay for using it, that she had been up the road to a neighbour who was this lady's relative and gotten this "Tracy's" phone number, she explained that she was a relative and was going to family reunion, my tummy felt a bit funny, Why hadn't you used this relatives phone? I thought. But replied over the top of Cleo yapping madly that, "sorry, my phone has been disconnected". She continued to explain that she had been travelling for two days and was desperate. I repeated that I was very sorry, but my phone was out of order again and she left.
I made sure the doors were dead bolted and thanked my lucky stars we had put security mesh on all our front windows and front door so no one could see in.

I feel a little guilty, so often we hear how no one is nice to any one these days, was I also one of these mean people now? What if my feeling was wrong? If my husband had just been home I would have let them use my phone on the front step. But then I hugged my son tight and remembered all those nice people that do the right thing and get taken advantage of. My poor little dog knows I'm nervous and keeps wanting to go outside to check the yard to make sure we're safe. It's funny how our pets know when we're upset :)

Have you ever trusted your instinct? Did it turn out to be right?

Mid Week Treat- Brownie Cake

Ingredients

• 2 heaped cups of SR flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup mixed fruit and nuts

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• grease and line a loaf tin
• sift together flour, spice and cinnamon
• rub in butter and add sugar
• mix with milk
• add fruit and nuts 
• pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean

Weekly Goals

Each Sunday night I try to write down at least 10-12 To-Dos or goals I want to accomplish for the following week, writing them down and blogging about them I'm hoping it will make a little more accountable and give me the extra motivation to tick them off my list. And I'm also hoping that if I at least try to have a plan I might end the week knowing I've been productive rather than letting the small things fill up my days.

GARDEN

• re-pot baby succulents

• plant chokos

• buy wood, concrete, chicken wire, gate & star pickets for chook shed

• Move chook shed to back corner of yard

• secure tin onto side of shed for extra protection

• find bunk bed ladder for roosting

• sink tin around perimeter so rabbits wont escape- they've already escaped a few times!

HOUSE

• install dishwasher- i found one on ebay I can't wait to try it out, does anyone else have a dishwasher? any tips or hints I should know about?

• Pick up bed for spare room & visit nanna

BLOG

• Blog 3x a week

• SYL post 1x week

ORGANISATION

• buy a diary

• organise phone and photos- almost done!

CRAFT

• organise craft ideas

PROCRASTINATION

• dry clean wedding dress

HEALTH

• book in Master As swim lessons.... also should be in PROCRASTINATION list I've been meaning to do this for months Oops

• walk 3x a week

MASTER As FIRST BIRTHDAY (3 weeks to go!)

• pick up Kota the dinosaur

• Shindigs & Ebay party supplies

• print party invites

• clean toys

Plastic bags re-use and recycle ideas

So I posted this on facebook tonight but it was still bugging me so I decided to write down all the ideas to re-use these nasty plastic bags. I'm sure I'll keep adding to it so make sure you check back! I'm also adding labels to group like things together to make it easier for you to search for things. Just because I love you. 

Attempting to clean out my inbox and I came across this statistic from BabyWeekly and it shocked me!
Plastic bags - In each year from 1980 to 1987, 15 children under five years old suffocated to death from plastic bags.
How do you store your plastic bags? I have them in the laundry in a fabric holder except they've kind of had babies and exploded into three other bags :/

Feeling a little crafty? 



1.  Try a fused plastic bag! 

2.  Make pom poms

3.  Make mini-ghosts by taking a white plastic bag, roll another into a ball, place it (inside) at the far end of the other bag, make a tie piece by cutting a thin strip of plastic from another bag and tie around the ball, this makes a head or what will be a ghost. Use black felt market to draw a spooky face on the head. Trim the bottom of the outer bag to make it flowing. Save your rubber bands from newspapers and use them to attach to trees in the front yard. You can make as many of these as you want and cover an entire tree with ghosts.

4.  Make parachutes for action figures to heighten the adventure at playtime. Cut out a square from a bag, and poke a hole in each corner. Cut four pieces of string (or dental floss) at least a foot long and loop one through each hole, tying a knot to secure it; tie the other end of each string around the toy.

5.  Sew a fabric tube and stuff it with bags—then keep it next to exterior doors to stop drafts.

6.  Make a kite. Punch a hole in each corner of the open end of a bag. Tie a long piece of string in each hole, gather the ends, and glue some streamers onto the open end. The natural shape of the bag will catch the wind, which will lift it into the air

7.  cut into strips and braid into braclets

8.  cut into strips for holiday wreaths, use pinks and reds for valentine. Green, white and red for christmas. Tie strips onto coat hanger stretched out and hang on door with hook.

9.  Crochet a rug for the front or back door, take a plastic bag and cut it circularly about 5cm thick (like you're peeling an apple). It becomes one long piece. Using a LARGE plastic crochet hook, crochet a rug with this "yarn." Tie on a new piece when you get to the end. The plastic has a bit of a "nap" to it when done up this way and you can easily remove move, etc., from shoes. Then, when it looks ratty, toss it.

10.  Use for puzzles or other items that have small pieces when their box wears out

11.  Donate bags to food pantries, used book stores, libraries, thrift shops, pre-schools or other organizations. Instead of stuffing all the bags into one bag, flatten the plastic bags, fold them in half, and place in another plastic bag before donating

12.  Pop them into the Coles recycle bin (A great idea from Fiona) Although i'd love to know what Coles does with them exactly?

Kitchen

13.  If something is stinky put it in a plastic bag and pop in the freezer till garbage day, For example: my mum has koi and she rescued one from a bird but it died from its injuries...after chasing my sister around the yard with it (insert evil laugh) we froze it in a plastic bag till garbage day. Just don't forget it is in the freezer!

14.  Place frozen ice paks in plastic bage before putting them in your lunchbox, keeping condensation from getting everything wet.

15.  Instead of buying a salad spinner, put wet lettuce in a plastic bag with a paper towel and spin it around to dry it

16.  Put defrosting meats in plastic bags to contain the mess.

17.  Double or tripple line bags with other plastic bags, in order to dispose of broken items such as glass, light bulbs, dishes, etc. This is not only safer for your family but for the waste disposal workers as well.

18.  I use my plastic bags to bin nappys, cat and dog poop and to hold dirty clothes when out and about

19.  I use my plastic bags for small bins around my house

20.  Place unripe fruits or green tomatoes in plastic bags. The bag traps ethylene, the natural gas released by ripening fruit while still providing ventilation that helps fruit ripen faster.

21.  Moving soon? Wrap fragile items in plastic bags before placing in boxes

Painting

22.  Put wet paint brushes in a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator when stopping mid-project. This keeps the paint wet, so you can pick up where you left off the next morning or after your lunch break without having to rinse the brushes first.

23.  A popular painting technique that has come about is bagging. You paint them use a thinned paint of the same color or lighter color that is thinned with glaze and use a very wrinkled up plastic grocery bag to blot on paint, it ends up looking like Venetian wall treatment, it is very pretty

Out and About- I like to keep a container of bags in the car

24.  Bring them with you to garage sales.

25.  Put wet swimmers in from swim lessons

26.  use as umbrealla holders on rainy days, I like to use the bags the free community papers come in for this

27.  Carry a plastic bag with you on evening walks and pick up litter along the way

Garden and Outside

28.  Protect small plants from frost by covering them with plastic bags in the winter.

29.  Hang a bag on the wall or your garage or shed to keep soiled work gloves or rags in.

30.  Wrap one around each shoe to keep your entryway mud-free when coming inside on rainy days.

31.  Keep your feet dry in bad weather by wearing bags on your feet between your socks and boots. 

32.  Keep manuals for your lawnmower, whipper-snipper, and leafblower handy by storing them in a plastic bag that hangs in the garage

33.  Stuff one in the bottom of a plant pot to fill up space between the bottom and the dirt

Corned Beef Pie

Great recipe for using left over corned beef, or if your household is like mine. You need to cook one especially for this recipe because there is never any left overs. LOL

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups cold corned beef, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup pickles
• 4 cups mashed potato
• 2 tsp melted butter

Method

• Mix beef, corn and pickles. Place in greased pie dish
• Mash potatoes, don't add milk or butter! Spread over top of mixture in pie dish and brush top with butter
• Cook in 180 degree oven for 20 minutes until potato is golden

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 brown onions, diced
• 4 sticks of celery, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2L chicken stock
• 1 packet French onion soup
• 6 chicken thighs whole and trimmed of all fat 

Method

• Place all vegetables into pot in order of list
• Mix soup mix into chicken stock and pour over vegetables
• Push chicken thighs under liquid
• Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low
• Remove chicken from cooker and using two forks shred chicken, Return to pot and stir

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

Ingredients

• 1.5-2kg corned silver side
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/2 cup malt vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion
• 10 cloves
• 1 roughly chopped carrot
• 2 roughly chopped celery sticks

Method

• Place meat in cooker, add all ingredients except for onion and cloves.
• Peel onion leaving root intact, slice in half and push five cloves into each half, place in cooker.
• Pour enough hot water in to cover meat and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
• Serve with potatoes, cauliflower and white sauce.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Cheese Sauce


Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 chicken stock cube

Method

• place butter and flour in a microwave proof container and microwave for 30 seconds.
• Whisk in milk, cheese, cube and season to taste. Microwave in 30 second increments until mixture is smooth and has a slightly thickened consistency.

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 500g mince
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic or two cloves crushed finely
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp oregano & basil
• 1 pack lasagna sheets

Method

• turn slow cooker on low and spray with canola spray
• in bowl mix all ingredients well, except for lasagna sheets
• cover bottom of cooker with cheese mixture, then layer with sheets make sure not to overlap the sheets.
• spoon cheese sauce over sheets, not to thick.
• repeat layers till all used up, sprinkle cheese on top and cook on low for 8hrs

Menu Plan Monday

Mon- Tacos

Tues- Slow cooker lasagna

Wed- Meat pie or chicken kiev with vegetables and mash

Thur- Slow cooker corned beef

Fri- Slow cooker chicken soup

Sat- Corned beef pie

Sun- Slow cooker roast chicken

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1.2-1.5kg whole chicken
• 1 halved lemon
• few garlic cloves
• 1 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 tbsp paprika
• freshly ground black pepper and salt

Method

• Wash chicken inside and out, place halved lemon, onion and cloves inside cavity
• Rub paprika all over bird and give liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper.
• Ball up 6 balls of aluminium foil and place in bottom of cooker
• Pour water around balls. Place bird on top of foil so it isn't touching bottom
• Cook on high for 1hr and then reduce to low for 8-10 hours or leave on high for 5-6 hours.

Chicken Pot Pie

This one is my all time favourite, and you can add whatever vegetables you have in the fridge- YUM!

Ingredients

• 2 Sheets puff pastry
• 1 chicken breast fillet or left over chicken
• 1 onion diced
• 1 small carrot diced
• 1 stick celery diced
• 1 tin of cream of chicken soup

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. 
• Cook chicken and set aside to cool if using left over chicken skip this step.
• Saute onion, carrot and celery in pan chicken was cooked in.
• Shred meat, add back to pan and stir in soup.
• Grease pie plate. Line base with one sheet of pastry, add filings and top with second pastry sheet. I like to use left over pastry to write on the top :)
• Trim and crimp edges, add 4-5 vents in top to let steam escape. brush with water.
• cook in oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown

Pizza Base

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 packet (8g) dry yeast 
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

Method

• Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, add oil and water.
• Mix into soft dough, knead on a floured surface until soft and pliable, return to bowl and cover with cling wrap. Place in a warm spot for 30 mins, the dough should double in size.
• 'Punch' dough to get rid of air bubbles, remove from bowl and knead gently for one minute, roll dough out to desired size and thickness and add toppings, cook for 10-15 minutes but keep a eye on it as it depends on how thick and the size of the pizza.

Toppings you might like

• tomato sauce 
• Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
• feta cheese
• mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Italian sausage, cooked ahead of time
• chopped fresh basil
• Pesto
• Pepperoni, thinly sliced
• onion, thinly sliced
• sliced ham
• pineapple- my favourite! Although hubby can't stand it on pizza he says i'm so Australian  to like it lol

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 brown onion grated
• 1kg mince beef
• Grated zucchini, make sure to squeeze out liquid
• 6 slices cheddar cheese

Method

• Cut four 60 cm pieces of foil, fold over to create long strips. Lay strips in bottom of slow cooker, will use these to lift meatloaf out.
• In bowl combine eggs, tomato paste, herbs garlic, salt, pepper, carrot, onion and zucchini, place beef on top and using hands combine well.
• tip mixture onto foil and form a loaf using hands, place lid on and cook 3-4 hours on high and 6-8 hours on low
• When there is 10 mins remaining, lay cheese over top and replace lid.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 500g mince
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 140g tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water

Method

• Heat oil on medium heat and add garlic and onion fry until soft.
• Add mince and brown, pour into slow cooker, and add remaining ingredients.
• Put lid on and cook 6-7 hours on high
• Cook pasta and serve with cheese

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients

• BBQ Chook (I got hubby to grab one on his way home)
• 2L chicken stock
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 packet of taco seasoning or 2 tbsp of Home Made Taco Mix
• 1 onion, sliced and diced
• a corriander bunch
• Plain corn chips, hubby accidently picked up the cheese ones but it still tasted great
• Sour cream

Method

• Saute onion with a bit of olive oil
• Strip chicken and dice meat, throw into slow cooker with onion. I just stripped the chicken meat right into the pan I had the cooked onion in.
• Add corn, beans, tomato, seasoning and stock to cooker
• Stir and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8hrs on low
• Stir coriander in just before serving
• Serve with bowl of corn chips and sour cream on the side for dipping.

Can also top with cubes of avocado, chopped spring onions, grated cheese or sliced jalapenos

Menu Plan Monday

I have decided to try and get more organised and plan my meals (haha!) instead of rushing around at 5pm like a chook without her head. I love slow cooker and one pot meals, I'm not one of those people that live to eat honestly if I didn't get hungry and hubby wasn't complaining he was starving I wouldn't cook at all. My goal would be to only shop once a month and go to the farmers market on a Sunday for fresh food hmm can i do it? I'm willing to give it a go!

Monday- Chicken Enchilada Soup
Tuesday- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Wednesday- Shirley Six Layer Casserole
Thursday- Slow Cooker Meatloaf
Friday- Pizza
Saturday- Chicken Pot Pie
Sunday- Slow Cooker Roast Chicken

My Countrol Journal & Routines

Laney from Crash Test Mummy is having a little competition with Jodie from Muddled Up Mumma. And are trying to get their homes more organised, Laney is using Flylady and posted her routines for the world to see. Which i think is very brave, and it has been on my mind to post my Control Journal as well. I have mine in a black A4 folder that sits on my coffee table/Master A's new drawing station. It holds all my important phone numbers and the way I like the house to be run, which has helped hubby while i have been sick this past week.


Being sick has made me realise how being on top of the housework meant much more less stress than there could have been, there was still stress of course but I wasn't still trying to play catch up which was a wonderful feeling. My Control Journal is constantly being tweaked as i figure out things could work better this way or as Master A grows and things need changing. I'm sure I will re-edit this entry every so often as I think of new things, and what works for me won't work for every other person.

Daily

• 6am Get up, Make bed, Swish shower (its part of Flylady's Swish & Swipe but i prefer to do the toilet and sink at night while my son is in the bath)

• 6.15am Make cup of tea, Shower, Moisturise, Get dressed to shoes

• 7am Master A up, Check nappy, Breakfast

• 7.30am Teeth, Hair, Check Kitty Litter, Feed Cats, Hang laundry out

• 8am Wash breakfast dishes, Tidy kitchen, Sweep kitchen

• 9am Walk for a hour, leave 8.45am

• Brush Cleo & clean eyes, Check rabbits & garden

• 2 bottles of water before lunch

• 5 min hot spot fire drill

• 5 min pick up in each room

• Steralise change table, Put dry clothes away, Smudge Check (what I like to call getting rid of handprints and puppy nose prints around the house)

• 2 bottles of water before dinner

• 5pm Dinner

• 6pm Master A bath

• Sink & toilet S&S

• 7pm Master A bedtime

•  Put load of laundry and dishwasher on

• What's for lunch? What's for dinner?

• 7.30pm Dr Who (I'm a Dr Who fan only got hooked a few weeks ago)

• 8.30pm Me time (blog, FB, emails, reading, recorded tv shows)

• Check calander, birthdays and launch pad for tomorrow

• 9.30pm Bed 

Disclaimer: Of course days where nothing goes to plan happens and especially having a baby will throw everything in to chaos. But if I have a rough plan of attack I can start to tick things off and it answers the hubbys dreaded question..." What have you been doing today?" I always seem to go blank even though i know iv been busy -.-

Weekly

Mon- Clean car & purse
empty & clean rubbish, recycling bins
Shine mirrors, door knobs, taps & clean light panels
Bath Cleo
Change sheets & bath towels

Tues- File Papers
Empty & clean fridge
Clean pet dishes

Wed- Menu plan
Errand day
Vacuum
Call dad

Thur-Baking day
Call nan


Fri- Ironing
Dust
27 Fling Boogie


Sat-Vacuum
Steam mop
Call mum

Sun-Rest

Also each week I will concentrate on one area for the week, then the next week another area so over the month the house will get a good clean.

Zone 1- Entance, Living room and Garden

Zone 2- Kitchen and Dinning Room

Zone 3- Bedrooms

Zone 4- Office, Laundry and Bathroom


My Control Journal also has things like;

• things i am procrastinating on
• Garden ideas
• Blog & Facebook page ideas
• Monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly to-dos

What I do when I'm having a bad day

I'm having a sad, bad day today. Instead of feeling miserable all day I decided to do something about it. Hellooo new blog post :)

Bad days happen to everyone, no one can be happy 24/7, 365 days a year. It may be something or nothing that has made you angry, sad, frustrated, dissapointed or whatever feeling you are feeling.

But you still have to get up and do the mummy, housewife & work (if you work outside the home as well) jobs while trying to not let your bad mood effect your kids, other half and colleagues.

These are the steps I take to lift my mood:

1- Accept your mood:

Fighting a bad mood and not dealing with your feelings only prolongs it and frustrates you. I know beacuse today i tried ignoring it and i felt worse for it. I allowed myself to have a 15 minute Pity Party woe is me! Had a good cry, sometimes a good cry just makes you feel better I don't know why it just does. And it helps to remember that this feeling will pass. Also it helps me to warn my husband when i'm having a bad day and all i have to say is, "i'm not sure why i feel like this, i'm just having a bad day." for him to leave it at that.

2- Change your viewpoint

• Will this matter in five years?
• Who cares?
• What can i learn from this?
• What is the silver lining (the positives) in the situation?

If a situation or person has made you upset it is helpful to write out what you are going to say before you actually say it to make sure your standing up for yourself but not stepping on other peoples feelings and making them feel like you feel, as tempting as it is, it is much nicer to be the bigger person. And it lets you say everything you want to say in the one moment. Nothing worse than saying what your piece then five minutes later thinking "Darn!! I wanted to say that and this!" Its so much better to say everything at once then it will hopefully be over and done with.

And remember you can't change other people but you can change your perception of the situation. If someone cuts you off in traffic, instead of thinking "what a jerk!" and fuming all the way to work or  to the park. Think what if they were in a emergency and had to rush to get to the hospital? It may not be true and they may just be a jerk but they are gone and haven't even noticed you and its not making you feel any better fuming and getting cranky.

3- List all the things you appreciate and are thankful for, often called a gratitude journal. But you don't have to have a journal whatever you feel more comfortable with. Re-read it when you are having a bad day and try to remember to add things that made you smile throughout the day

4-Write down or keep a journal of inspirational quotes. I had a lovely list on my computer, my poor computer died and went to electronic heaven and I lost all my quotes, sometimes paper is best!

5-Have a Pick Me Up Jar

I used a little box my step mum gave me to keep my little slips of paper in, each one has a little something nice that is easy to do. If you have nice paper around you can use that or decorate a old jar with some fabric or paint. Whatever will make you smile when you look at it.

Here is my list, i am sure i'l keep adding to it and the things that fill my tank up and make me happy may not be the same for you and that is ok, add your own things that make you happy.

• snuggle in bed with a book
• snuggle the baby, hopefully he wants to have a cuddle most times hes to busy getting into everything
• bake a cake
• a pedicure or manicure and new nail polish
• cuddle the dog or cat- studies have shown petting animals lowers blood pressure
• burn scented candles or your favorite essential oil
• take a bubble or milk bath
• bring in flowers 
• have screen free time
• read your favourite magazine
• go for a 30 minute brisk walk, bundle the baby into the stroller and let those endorphin's out!
• watch a funny movie, I think il start a list of funny movies to stock up on
• Remember to BREATH
• watch the sunset
• drop something from your schedule
• look at old photos and reminisce
• wear your favorite piece of  jewelry or clothing, I have a lovely electric blue pair of slipper socks with white wild threads, my lovely neighbor knitted me.
• Read your favourite, uplifting blog
• Wear your favourite perfume or piece of jewellery or outfit
• Blow bubbles outside
• If you can, put a hammock in your garden or on your patio, nothing like having a 15 minute swing.
•  Have a nap

• If overwhelmed, make a list of all the things you need to do and do the easiest first
• Make sure you eat and drink properly. You need to fuel your body 

Week 3 SYL: Family Mission Statement

I have a lot to catch up in regards to SYL challenge I hope to do two weeks a day, but with a 10 month old i know not to be to hard on myself if i don't achieve this goal. Remember- it doesnt matter how slow you go, so long as you do not stop <3
This week is all about your family mission statement, I used http://wwwfranklincovey.com/msb/ to help with mine.
Our Family Mission Statement:
As a family we are at our best when we communicate with each other.We will try to prevent times when we add to each others stress.We will find more time and more activites to do outside as a family.We will help each other by using constructive cristicisim.We will help others by volunteering and getting to know others in the community.We will stop procrastinationg and start planning more family activites.We weill be viewed as a family that loves each other and who try our best to help others and the community, that our house is always open to others and we always have a kind word to say.We will fill our home with LOVE.We will make choices and decisions based on: kindess, honesty, love and service to others and the environment.We will constantly renew ourselves by focusing on:

• drinking 2L of water a day

• walking 3x a week and taking the dogs to the park 3x a week

• try a new physical experinece a month

• being open to other religions and researching them before judging them

• Do brain teasers, play board games together once a week and read a book together every night

• catching up with friends and family or ring them once a week and we will surround ourselves with positiveness and look for the silver lining in every bad situation.

We envision success for each family member:Mummy: Being able to stay at home, having more children, being involved in the community and surrounding myself with friends and family and living in a lovely home with a self sufficient garden with more than enough to share with others.Daddy: A Registered Nurse who wont have to work as hard and can spend more time with his family and gets a little fitterAshton: a polite and helpful 10 year old who is happy and healthy and who can do anything he sets his mind to.
Have a great day! <3