Family Organizer for Computer and Cell Phone

 

I wanted to share with you this app I have started using. It's really an awesome resource.  I currently have the free version and of course you get a few more bells and whistles with the paid one but even the free version is great.

 

Your same calendar is displayed on both your computer and phone so you can check whichever is the easiest for you. Another plus is that if you do the Fly Lady approach to cleaning, you can install the calendar from her site and it will have all the zones and missions listed for the week on your calendar. :)  If you don't want those on yours then register for it on the Cozi site or the app store on your phone.  It will look like the version above without the zones.

 

 

This is a screen shot of my phone showing the daily calendar. I just use the Groceries section for my list of things I want to purchase (soon). You could use it for your grocery list I just don't. When you click on the zones you can see the detailed version of the zone and the daily mission. You can also add appointments and reminders also.

 

 

Here's the weekly view and you can scroll down for the rest of the week.

 

The computer version has a section for menu planning that I don't see on the phone version and that's a pretty nice section too if you want to get away from paper and pencil menu planning. You can share the calendar with family members so they can access it also. Not sure if that is only on the paid version as I just wanted the calendar for myself not everyone in my family!

 

Anyway it's called Cozi and you should check it out at Cozi.com

 

 

Zones, Rooms, Weeks, and Months

So I'm sitting here blogging this morning and watching the clock, realizing that I'm a little behind schedule with what I want to accomplish today because I did an extra post instead of just the two I had planned. I usually try to be done blogging by 8:00 and it's almost 9:00. So I'll keep this short and sweet this morning. Today's post is about of all things, sticking to a schedule. Yep on the one day I planned to write about keeping to a schedule...I'm off schedule. Life you like to play cruel jokes!

Let's be honest, I'm not very good at sticking to schedules and that's why I have a ton of declutter hot spots and other half finished endeavors. Now that I'm retired the schedule is a self imposed one but it's still important. Important to me anyway. I need to feel the victory of overcoming a messy house and the freedom of getting rid of clutter. I've been working my self created schedule now for about two months and it has worked wonders for my home. It's no where near spotless yet but the difference is amazing. I can find things, I actually end up with some extra time to be creative, and I feel lighter in spirit.

It doesn't matter if you choose a weekly schedule or a monthly one. It's not important if you work zones, areas, rooms or hotspots. Just set up a schedule and work it every day. Now I've always struggled with how to keep up with my daily tasks and take on a more complex project like cleaning the basement. I've played around for years with plans and schedules and checklists. Through the blessing of retirement I now have the time to implement the hodge podge one I've put together from several sources plus my own needs. If you work full time, let's face it....you will need to make a simple schedule or it's just not going to happen. If you have small children your schedule will need to look different also. No one schedule fits everyone.

 

 

It has taken me TWO full months to even start to think I'm getting somewhere. My main focus has been the living areas of the house, places we use every day. Now I can quick clean them in less than an hour a day so I can add in some time to start chipping away at some major projects.

 

Here's a quick look at how my plan works but it's also flexible in case something needs more attention etc.

 

• Monday is quick pick up the house. Living room, bedroom, bath and kitchen. Office also if time allows. It is also clean the living room day so that room gets extra attention. In addition to that I try to work in whatever FlyLady zone it is. (This week it is the baths and one extra room) So each day I pencil in a Zone chore to do. I don't really follow hers but sometimes I do. So today I am working in the extra room (the office) and I am organizing and putting my albums into a pretty basket. Two loads of laundry also get done today.
• Tuesday another quick pick up and the room that gets extra attention (a deeper cleaning) is the bathrooms. Two loads of laundry and time in the Zone. This day I'll clean under one of the bathroom sinks.
• Wednesday is another quick pick and the room of the day is the kitchen. I'll work in the Zone for 15-30 minutes. I've picked some shelves in the office that need cleaning and decluttered.  Laundry as needed.
• Thursday is a quick pick and then grocery shopping day. I don't put a room on this day as I know grocery shopping will be enough to accomplish. I'll still do 15-30 minute Zone chore though.
• Friday starts with a quick pick then the Master bedroom is the room of the day. Laundry if needed and work in the zone 15-30.

Now I am adding declutter projects for 15-30 minutes each day for some major hotspots in my home. No more than 15-30 or it becomes overwhelming. So my focus this week is the family room in our basement. It tends to get ignored and accumulates all manner of odds and ends.

 

So to keep it simple:

1. Always do a quick pick each day
2. Always do a deeper cleaning of the room of the day
3. Always work in the weekly zone 15-30 minutes (pick a task for each day)
4. Laundry (take care of the monster)
5. Declutter tasks in a major hotspot 15-30 minutes.

 

It is taking time but I am at the point where the quick pick up goes pretty fast and the deeper cleaning of one room isn't so overwhelming. That is why I am now adding in some of the more overwhelming areas that I need to deal with. 

I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that you will develop your own schedule to fit your needs. I've struggled for years doing one method or another but not really sticking to them. It doesn't matter whether you do FlyLady, Holiday Grand Plan, Organized Home's plans or your own hybrid plan. The truth is....stick to it and you will see a difference. Start small.

Freezer Cooking 101

It's a Snow Day....or I should more correctly say "ice day" so I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit freezer meals. I hope to put some together later today to "feed the freezer" so to speak.

Containers for Meals:

• Freezer Bags: Obviosly the most "space friendly" storage container is a Ziploc freezer bag (for freezing I tend to us a name brand rather than generic because I feel like they are better quality for freezing but use your own judgment). Make sure you squeeze all the air out of them and that they are sealed completely. Once they freeze they stack nicely on a shelf and they are GREAT for crockpot freezer meals.
• Aluminum Pans:  Pictured above are some aluminum pans I picked up at Dollar Tree. I haven't used them yet but I think I will wrap them in foil also as a double layer of protection. Pans are great for casseroles to freeze.
• Plastic wear. There's lot of freezable plastic ware out there. My main problem with it is storage. If it's not full in the freezer it takes up a lot of space and a lot of organization on my part to keep up with it. It also tends to take up more space in the freezer too and I have limited space. It is still an option though for those that like using it.

Cooking sessions:

A couple years ago I came across a "cooking session" that outlined step by step the way to create about 7 meals using chicken and ground beef. Most of the meals were stored in freezer bags. The most important thing about your cooking sessions is that it is important to plan them out and have things on hand for your session. To do this pick 3-4 recipes that you know you like and that will freeze well. Make an ingredients list and have all the items on hand. Then start cooking!  I also find it very helpful to brown extra ground beef and keep it in freezer bags for tacos, spaghetti sauce etc. It's not a whole freezer meal but it saves lots of time!

A Favorite Recipe:

Pineapple Dump Chicken:

 

1/2 lb  chicken pieces (breasts or thighs)
1/2 cup  onion, chopped
1/4 cup  butter, melted
1/2 cup  ketchup
1 cup  pineapple preserves      
2 teaspoons  dry mustard
1 cup  pineapple tidbits

Directions:

For immediate cooking: Pre-heat oven to 350°F Place all ingredients into a large baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake until chicken juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.
To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make sure the bag is sealed completely.

For the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

For the crockpot: cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 or until done. 

On the grill: cook over medium heat until juices run clear.

 

Recipe Source: Food.com

 

I don't think this is the site I original got the recipe from but it has the same ingredients as the one I use. I freeze this in a freezer bag and usually make it in the crock pot. I like to serve it over fluffy white rice. Yummy!

Preparing the Kitchen

Well while some of you are celebrating the last weekend of summer...well technically not but you know what I mean, I will be preparing my kitchen for the weeks ahead. Meals are going to be a lot simplier for us this fall but I am preparing to make them even simplier! Pre=preping food is the way to go and I am planning a good session of that this weekend.

1. I will dice and saute onions, peppers, and chicken. This three ingredient mix is super to use in lots of recipes....Chicken Fried Rice, Salad with Chicken, Fettucini topped with Chicken, Stir Frye, etc etc. I want to get several batches prepared and placed in freezer bags.

2. Ground Beef browned with onions. This two ingredient mix is the base for numerous recipes...everything from tacos to chili and everything in between. It's so easy to grab a bag and create a super easy meal in no time at all.

3. Diced and frozen bags of celery, onions, and green peppers. These take the "edge" off of preparing a meal and chopped all at once and then frozen are a life saver! Easy to add a handful to omelettes, stir fryes, skillet meals and casseroles, adding a wonderful flavor.

There are lots more pre-preps to talk about but these are the ones I used the most often.

Simple Tips for Busy Lives: Trash Bags

Here's a handy little trash bag tip that saves me time and energy. It also makes it a lot easier to manage the trash in the bathroom trash cans.

When you are putting a new trash bag in....add four of them...one inside the other. Then when it's time to throw a full one away....you can just grab it and go....the new one is already in place. I like to recycle the Wal-mart plastic bags as my small trash can liners but it can work the same way with purchased bags.

Then once a month I refill the cans with fresh bags and we're good to go for another month. This is particularly helpful as then any family member can grab the full one and dispose of it without any need to replace it....makes it more likely they will jump in and help with this small chore!

Simple Tip For Busy Lives: Crockpots

Several...okay quite a few years ago..when I was a young mother...I tried using the crockpot to ease the strain of busy evenings. Never could seem to "get into it". Not sure why. I guess because of the whole "food's always mushy", 'everything tastes the same," and the belief that it's more trouble to clean up later!

But working a full time job and a part time job in the evening I have rediscovered the crockpot. In doing so I am always on the search for GOOD recipes in the crockpot. Food is too expensive, I am not going to settle for bland or overcooked foods. I have put up several of our favorites here at Month by Month.

If you haven't used your crock pot in awhile I suggest you drag it out and dust it off. This is an awesome time saver for busy lives! I have two sizes, one average size one and one larger one. I have discovered that putting the right amount of food, in the right size crockpot is important. Also pay specific attention to whether the recipe calls for a low or high setting. The right amount of liquid is also very important.

I have an awesome, very, very simple meatloaf recipe for the crockpot which I will share with you soon. And YES it does get brown in there! Yummy, and so easy to mix up the night before and pop in the crockpot in the morning before work. I try to use the crockpot at least once or twice a week! I'll get you that meatloaf recipe soon and I've got a couple new ones I want to try also.

As always, I notice there are a lot of you readers out there....feel free to post comments or leave a message on the mini board...I love hearing from you and knowing what you are enjoying reading about or if there are other things you are interested in hearing more about!

Simple Tip for Busy Lives: Towels

As I'm working my way through some laundry today. I wanted to take just a second to share a time saving tip I use. I have started switching all of my towels to WHITE....and here's why.

• Easier to launder...I like to use bleach and so no need to sort out the white from the colored towels.


• Faster to put away and/or get out....no sorting towels by bathroom color.


• Delegating just got easier since hubby will do a load of towels as long as he knows he isn't gonna "mess it up"


• Kitchen towels and dish clothes also. Sanitary and no stains or faded towels!

Just last week I purchased a pack of Kitchen towels at Walmart for about 5 dollars. They are solid white but with a weave to them rather than the fluffly like kitchen towels...just don't like the fluffier ones. They are perfect for my all white goal. I needed some new ones and am now sorting out and throwing away five older kitchen towels. New in....same number of old OUT. They had some dish clothes also, so they are on my list for the next purchase.

My budget doesn't just allow me to get rid of good items so I have been working toward all white for a bit now. Bath towels are taking a little longer. I estimate that I save 10-15 minutes with laundry and putting away just because they are all white. Might not sound like a lot but add it up for the month and it's easily over an hour saved a month! They do not have to be the same type of towel etc...white looks good with white...no matter the style...LOL.

On another note: you like pretty in the bathroom...? I learned this little tip from a poster at OrganizedChristmas...sorry can't remember who but if it was YOU...let me know and I'll add your name in here! Since I am using all white...it is super easy to make the bathroom holiday or seasonal...with RIBBON!!! Yes...buy some pretty ribbon at the dollar store...right now I know DEALS has a ton of Easter ribbon out. I like the wide kind. Then tie the ribbon around the towels on display in your bathroom for a seasonal touch and a bit of color. I keep a little plastic show box in the linen closet for storing the ribbon. I have Easter, Halloween, Fall, Americana...all kinds and then I just wrap and tie a bow...pretty, seasonal, simple, and I can have white practical towels and CUTE at the same time!!!

Well, back later with more for you here at Month by Month. If you'd like, leave a comment or post on the mini message board. I would love to hear from you !

Simple Tips for Busy Lives

Some people wonder how I keep on keeping on with all that I do. So I thought "Simple Tips for Busy Lives" might be helpful. I will share with you some little things I do to SIMPLIFY my life and make more time for the things I love to do. First of all.....do not get the impression that I am perfect....far from it!!! I struggle every day with keeping on top of things just like each of you. It was even more difficult when my children were small. Last night, I skipped the Quick Kitchen Clean....the kitchen is a wreck....but I can't just give up....gotta get going again. One thing that motivates me is the realization that I have come to that when I DON'T do things, when I let stuff pile up. I spend at least twice as much time, and it creates three times as much stress to deal with it all.....little baby steps....that's why I put in the 15 minute declutter each day. And yes some days I skip it....don't feel well or oversleep, but if I set the goal for every day, I can pretty much be assured of getting it done 4 days weekly.
So I will start putting up some "Simple Tips for Busy Lives" and hope that some of them will help you find more time also. Use what you can and ignore the rest. !!!

Master Grocery Shopping List

Master Grocery Shopping List

Here's a photo of my Master Grocery Shopping List. Actually this photo only shows part of the list. I had another photograph of the whole list but it did not turn out as clear as I would have liked. If you are interested in seeing the whole list, just let me know and I will retake a photo of it, hopefully clearer and post it at a later date.

The main idea though is to create a master shopping list. I have actually tried two different ways. This photo shows the list set up as Categories. I have also set one up that follows the layout of my main grocery store. I think the categories one is easiest to use. Each week I post this list on the fridge and as I run out of things or think of something I need to get I use a highlighter to mark that item. When I look over my menus I mark what I need on the list also. This is a big time saver not only when getting ready to go shopping but because it means fewer trips to the store for forgotten items. If you have questions just let me know. It's not fancy but it works.