Tackle it Tuesday--Must I???

I just wanted to spend nap time today working on several small crafty projects.  Make a couple of cards, work on a wedding gift...

But instead as I look around our small apartment I realize there is major work to be done. Dishwasher to be unloaded and reloaded, pans to be washed, kitchen to be swept and mopped, laundry to be put away, more laundry to be sorted and washed..

and on and on it goes.

Wish I could shut my eyes,...

snap my fingers,...

and ... Whaalaa!

My 2 year old is marching through the house cleaning to save his mommy's sanity.

But instead...

I shut my eyes,...

snap my fingers,...

and... Whaalaa!

My 2 year old is tearing puzzles out of the cabinet with a trail of cracker crumbs behind him.

Oh, well.  Another day.

At least we haven't had any potty accidents today.  One less thing to clean.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom for other ideas to tackle today.  And by the way, if you really don't know what to tackle in your own home, stop by mine.  I'll put you to work.

Menu Monday

I have family in town this week so I'm not sure what we'll be doing. But it's better to be prepared. Hope this gives you some thoughtful ideas.

Monday:

Yogurt and granola, milk

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrots, juice

Potato soup, homemade bread

Tuesday:

Toast and jelly, milk

Leftovers, juice

Potluck: Macaroni shrimp salad

Wednesday:

Cereal, fruit, milk

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salad, juice

Crockpot chimichangas

Thursday:

Cottage cheese, banana, milk

Leftovers, salad, juice

Aztec chicken

Friday:

Yogurt, fruit, milk

Leftovers, juice

Papa Murphy's pizza

Saturday:

Blueberry muffins, milk

Deli sandwiches, salad, juice

Chicken and rice a roni casserole

Sunday:

Gingerbread waffles, milk

Lunch out???

Graze at church???: Chocolate Peanut butter bars

Hubby cooking???

Hey, just a question. Can you make waffle mix the night before you plan to make them? I love these, but don't ever get up early enough to make them. By the time they are mixed and cooked, my husband and son have moved on to other things. They have cereal or banana and aren't interested by the time I'm done. Does anyone know if I can make the batter ahead of time?

For more menu and meal ideas, check out: Organizing Junkie

Online Book Club for Moms

We will be reading "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp.  I've heard wonderful things about this book and am excited to explore it with all of you.  Starting Monday May 12, I'll give a brief recap of the first chapter and open comments for discussion.  This way we can all post as we have time in the day.  The chapters aren't too long so I'll post two chapters each week, every Monday and Friday, as we progress through the book.  Pick up a copy and join us.  Let's keep each other accountable and encourage our sisters toward shepherding our children.

Frugal Friday

Last night we were wandering around town, basically just enjoying being out of the house.  I needed to pick up pictures from Sears and the kids were in a good mood.  So we stopped by the $.99  store on our way home.  Then I realized one of my greatest frugal friday tips: phone cards. Did you know the $.99 store sells phone cards?  And they're good for 99 minutes.  That's a penny a minute.  We don't even have long distance on our home phone anymore.  We simply recharge our phone card and no surprise long distance phone bill.I haven't found another company or phone card that can beat a penny a minute.  Plus, cards can be used for international calls. The charges go up, but are still very cheap.  

For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out: www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog.html

Loving our Library #2

After my Works for Me Wednesday tip yesterday, I started thinking about all the other reasons why we love the library.  There are so many things that we get for free or low cost, simply by using our local library.

• Free rental on movies and audio books: With the price of basic household necessities rising, I can't afford to spend $4 and up every time I want to see a new movie.  And when they finally leave the "New Release" shelf, I've forgotten what it was that I wanted to rent.  Not anymore.  I have found so many movies to rent from the library and rediscovered some new ones.  Where else can I rent a copy of "The Wedding Planner," "C is for Cookie" from Sesame Street, and "Pilates for Pregnancy" all in one trip for free?  And audio books... as I said, we love books, but often times only read them once or twice.  And audio books are horribly expensive.  By looking them in the library, I've added a luxury to my life that I would have never thought I could afford. 
• Pre-reserve items: Our local library offers the convinience of search the catalogue online.  So from the comfort of my own couch, I can search the catalogue for potty training books, the newest novel I want to read, and all those movies I want to watch.  So when we arrive for story time and I find myself dragging my son out to the car early, I can simply pick up my books off the "hold" shelf, quickly run through self-checkout, and be out the door in a matter of minutes.  No more searching for the right title with a 2 year old hiding behind shelves and a 4 month old screaming to be fed.  In and out quickly.
• Book sales: This is a great one.  Our library is holding a book sale this weekend.  Are you ready for the going rate?  $.50 for hardcover and $.25 for paperbacks.  That's amazing.  I'm currently making a list of titles, authors, and subjects that I'll be looking for.  I'm hoping to sneak out of the house for a hour or so while my husband and kids watch cartoons.  This is an incredible resource for homeschoolers as well.  Additionally, I recently read an article of a mom who called the day after the sale and was told that if she arrived before they were donated, she could have her pick of the leftovers for FREE.
• Information about local events: Libraries are a gathering place for a wide variety of people and groups.  Look around you and you will find announcements and posters for everything from free movie tickets to mom's groups, homeschooler training to book signing.  When Horton hears a Who arrived in theaters, one of the local cinemas ran a promotion for younger readers who read the book and had a form signed by the librarian. And how did we learn about it?  The library.

I hope this gives you just a few ideas of the many resources that are available at your local library.  It has opened up a whole new world for our family.  It works for us.

For more Works for Me tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer.