Fun tip

Now that our daughter is 3, it's really fun to let her have a little more independence.  She has a CD player in her room and I just made a CD for her of her favorite songs.  She has a very ecletic taste (like her daddy).  In case you're wondering it ranges for Elton John to Michael Jackson to Hank Williams Jr.  Let me tell you there's nothing more fun than listening to music in your room!

What I did so the housework gets done...

Just a couple weeks ago I began working full time for the first time in three years (since our daughter was born).  In an attempt to figure out how to get the hosuework done so it didn't get too cluttered or overwhelming I made a couple schedules.  My husband is helping a little more than before when he can and it's working out pretty good.

Example of our schedule:


Monday

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

- R lunch

Tuesday

- Laundry

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

- R lunch

- R bath

Wednesday

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

- R lunch

- Grocery shop

- Balance checkbook

- Pay bills

- Clean bathrooms

Thursday

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

- R lunch

- Vacuum/Mop

- Dust

- R bath
- R laundry

Friday

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

Saturday

- Shopping

- Family time

- Clean house

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

Sunday

- Coupon matching
- Meal planning/prep
- R bath

- Laundry

- Make dinner

- Clean Kitchen

- R lunch

Does it all get done?  Nope, it's just a guideline.  I seem to be doing more laundry than planned, but it's not too hard to fit in.  I will say that freezer cooking has been a blessing.  We often spend more time cleaning up than preparing meals each night.  And while not everything we do is on the list, these are the things that almost have to get done each week or I will go crazy if they go too long.  It's really very simple when you look at it, but it took me a long time to figure it out.  You just have to do what works for you.

 

Oh the artwork

Now that our 3-year-old daughter has started preschool we are bombarded with artwork.  Plus since she's doing so much art at school, she's doing more than ever at home.  What to do, where to put it, what to save, what to toss.

For the most part we display her art around the house at her level.  We've done that for years.  I believe it's the only way to truly appreicate her artwork.

When we started doing arts and crafts when she was barely a year old, I saved almost everything she did.  It was amazing to see her "create."  I saved those pieces in a plastic scrapbook container.  Some of my favoites or her "firsts"(first coloring, first painting, etc), I laminated before putting away.  Now I try to take a good sampling of different type of art she has done.  If it is different than something else she has made, I save it.  I also make sure to date everything.  

Because I just can't save it all, I do take a lot of pictures of her artwork.  I haven't printed them, but plan to save them digitally with her other photos that will give to her someday.  It's a nice way to show her progress.

Again Sorry -- freezer cooking tips

I'm still trying to figure out how to blog now that I'm working full time.  But as promised last week, I wanted to share that breading eggplant, baking and then freezing it works!

Another tip:  I boiled some Farmer's Market potatoes (enough for two meals) on Sunday for about 20 minutes.  Then put them in the refrigerator. Tonight I made my scalloped potatoes and ham and it save me tons of time.  I pre-sliced the ones for the scalloped potatoes and boiled the rest in halves to mash later in the week with meatloaf (which is frozen).

Also, I bought a grocery bag full of corn on the cob for $5 at our local corn fest this weekend.  I had a total of 29 ears.  We ate five ears and I froze more than 18 cups for future use.  To freeze corn on the cob I follow these steps:
1.  Boil corn for 7 minutes in pot of water with 1 Tbsp sugar.
2.  Let corn cool.  Then use a sharp knife and stand corn on end in a bundt pan.
3.  Take corn off cob with sharp knife
4. Freeze in freezer bags in portion sizes that work for you.  I freeze mine with our Foodsaver and in 1-cup and 2-cup portion sizes.   There's nothing like having that corn on the cob flavor in the dead of winter.

Update

So sorry this blog has taken a backseat as of late.  I am now working full time and just slowly getting into the routine.  Our 3-year-old daughter is starting preschool as well and that's been an adjustment for all as well.  My hope is to get back into the blogging swing of things soon.  In the meantime, here's a couple things to share.

• See the adorable doll cake I made for our daughter's birthday -- note it's dairy-free, egg-free and peanut-free.

• In my quest for freezer cooking ahead for easy weeknight meals (it's working, too), I tried something new.  You gotta keep trying new things or you just get bored.  I was at our Farmer's Market last week stocking up on all sorts of goodies.  I saw the going rate for eggplant was 75 cents.  That's about half what it is in the stores around here.  So, I breaded the eggplant per my eggplant parmesan recipe and froze it.  Results of that next week when I unthaw and bake.  I'm hopeful for good results.  Then I can bread a bunch of eggplant and freeze for easy, yummy meals.  

• As far as organizing our life, I'll post a little on that next week.  It's interesting how some things just aren't as important.