Establishing a Daily Schedule

We have found, especially with children, establishing a daily schedule is essential for productivity.  This not only gives parents sanity, it also creates stability for kids, so they are secure in knowing when things are happening.

First, we set meal times and bed times.  We then established a morning routine.  Once our meal times, bed times, and morning routine were predictable, we continued by instituting a bed time routine.  After much trial and error, this is what we found worked for us...

Meal Times and Bed Times Set:  Breakfast is between 7:15 A.M. and 7:45 A.M. (except Baby's is more like 5:30 A.M. or 6:00 AM), a very light snack is optional at 10:00 A.M., lunch is 12:00 P.M.- 12:30 P.M., snack at 3:15 P.M., dinner is between 5:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M.  Bedtime for Baby is 7:00 P.M., bedtime for Big Sis is 8:00 P.M., bedtime for parents is a target of 10:00 P.M.

Tuesday... Folding a Tidy Fitted Bed Sheet

I had a fantastic roommate several years ago that showed me the proper way to fold a fitted bed sheet so that it was just as tidy as the flat sheets and I have been forever grateful when I look at my tidy linen closet. 
How I do it:

Saturday Cheap Beauty Secret #1

Cheap Secret #1:  Use baking soda as an exfoliant for oily skin.  It's super gentle so it doesn't irritate your pores, but it's very effective (I stole this one from Queen Latifah).

Enjoyed the efforts of Wednesday today...

While perusing for recipes yesterday for "Food Day", I checked in on Chocolate Covered Katie, and found a simple Chocolate Oatmeal recipe with wholesome sweeteners.  Chocolate has been my nemesis of late, so this was a great find!  Had some chocolate first thing this morning and haven't craved it all day.  Plus, no guilt...that's the best part.  My family was pleasantly surprised since we try to eliminate sugar from our every day meals, and that usually means eliminating chocolate as well.

Spent most of our day outdoors.  We ended up spending most of it relaxing (picnic on a blanket with egg salad sandwiches, coloring in color books on the blanket, reflecting some rays with our extreme winter whitness) and playing chalk-drawn hopscotch on the back patio.  We didn't get much work done, so we'll have to switch Friday chores with Saturday chores, but it was incredibly enjoyable.

Apple Yogurt Muffins

Amazing Apple Muffins

This is a modified Taste of Homes recipe (modified by Adria) with a modified Betty Crocker topping

Laundry Money Savers

I have been using this laundry detergent for over two years (http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2011/03/16/diy-suds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YellowBrickHome+%28Yellow+Brick+Home%29) but with one very important (I think) additional step...using the blender.  After I grate the Fels Naptha and combine everything, if I don't blend it in my blender, the Fels Naptha separates from the Borax and Arm & Hammer Soda.  I have a regular five cup blender and I can only blend one cup of the mix at a time.  There's no formula for how long...just until it looks uniform.  I still only use one tablespoon of the finished laundry detergent (except on especially dirty laundry I use two).
My son has eczema and this laundry detergent doesn't irritate his sensitive skin.  HUGE savings from buying regular laundry detergent and even HUGER =) savings from having to by Dreft.
Another laundry money saver is using your dryer sheets twice!  Bounce dryer sheets can be used a minimum of 2x before having to use another.  I can use mine a third time on something that doesn't need much static protection, like jeans.  But a third use isn't feasible on almost anything else.  I've tried it on towels, shirts, sheets, and they all need a little more static protection than a third use provides.
Distilled white vinegar can be used in place of fabric softener!  I use 1/3 cup in a full load of laundry.  Vinegar can also be used as an anti-bacterial soak for stinky t-shirts, cloth diapers, or stinky towels.  Just starting to run a load until your washer drum is full of water, add the vinegar and detergent, let it soak for a couple of hours, then run the load like normal. 
If you have sensitive skin (or a sensitive nose or just don't like the toxins in bleach), you can still have bright whites!  Just add 1 cup hydrogen peroxide at the beginning of your wash in your bleach dispenser.  This can be used in combination with vinegar.  It's not as cheap as bleach, but it doesn't ever yellow your whites like bleach can when over-used, and it's so much better for you.
Shaking out your clothing after removing it from the washer, before placing it in the dryer, can help your clothes dry faster, saving money on drying time.  This is especially noticeable with jeans and towels.
That's all I can think of for now for laundry money savers!  I'll add more if I can think of them!

Organizing Mayhem

My daily task list on my "Week At A Glance" sheet includes a time for daily planning and this is where I pull it all together for easy reference throughout the day.

Beautiful Day To Be Outdoors!

Have I mentioned that I have a household binder? It was inspired by a pin off Pinterest http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/2011/01/weekly-challenge-1-home-management.html (LOVE this blog), but mine is MUCH smaller since I utilize the filing cabinet quite a bit.  I have been the recipient of some jokes for my household binder, but I just grin right along with them because they have no idea what they're missing!

Filing Simplified

We have a new HOUSEHOLD filing method that works fantastic for eliminating the infamous "paper shuffle."  Before adopting Betty Meyer's household filing system, I had the ever-growing pile of papers that we needed for one reason or another, but that would get moved from one place to the next as I 'cleaned' an area, or got tired of the paper clutter in the area it was currently in, to be set aside until it was needed.  BUT by the time we got around to doing whatever needed to be done with those papers, more were added to the pile, so it was never GONE.  I came up with a 'winner' of an idea for containing this clutter pile in a basket.  The problem was that my pile got so big that it literally went from a bowl sized basket to a full-sized laundry basket!  This new household filing method eliminates the need for counter top paper piles, and makes them so easily accessible that I have been amazed at how tidy our counter tops have stayed.

The method requires a filing cabinet, OR a filing cube (found at Walmart or Target for around $10), OR a portable filing cabinet (around $15-$20 at Walmart or Target), OR an oversized envelope with dividers.  We have all four that serve different purposes, but we use the front portion of the filing cabinet for our household filing.

Parmesan Spinach Eggs for Breakfast!

Parmesan Spinach Eggs

Equipment Needed:  Skillet, spatula, wire whisk, bowl, knife, cutting board, cheese grater.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil, 2 cups fresh shredded spinach, 1/4 cup real grated Parmesan cheese (nothing in a can, jar, or other), 2 tablespoons milk, 4 eggs, salt and pepper to taste.  Be sure to shred your spinach and grate your cheese before you continue.  Otherwise you won't have enough time to add everything when needed.

Today is Food Day Continued...

Making cheese...

I must confess that this is not my recipe.  I use Peggy B.'s cheese recipe as related to me by my sister.  And the flavor is the "Classic Ranch Dressing" recipe from "The Diet Rebel's Cookbok," authored by Jillayne Clements and Michelle Stewart.  However, this IS me showing you how I do it!

Today is Food Day!

This morning I'm making butter, cheese, and breakfast.  We get raw cows milk almost every Wednesday, so the milk I haven't done anything with yet (shame on me) is going to be turned into butter and cheese so that it doesn't go to waste, but we're ready for fresh milk.

I start with a gallon of whole raw cows milk.  This can also be done with store bought heavy whipping cream.

Putting it all together...

Overview:
Monday: Organizing and Cleaning
Tuesday: Stock and Laundry
Wednesday: Food
Thursday: Planning and Finances
Friday: Animals and Outdoors
Saturday: Personal Care and Fun Stuff!
Sunday: A Day of Rest

Sunday is the Sabbath...

Sunday was sanctified and set aside as a day to rest from our labors and dedicate our thoughts and actions to the Lord.

Sunday
Attend church
Sunday Activity Jar

Our Sunday Activity Jar is similar to our Saturday Activity Jar.  We can all participate in the activities as a family and they are all appropriate for the Sabbath.

We included: journal writing, letter writing, phonecalls to family, visiting family, scripture study, acting out a favorite parable, watching the scripture stories on DVD, making puppets of our favorite scripture character, and the list goes on...

On Saturdays...

God created man and woman on Saturday, so this our day to do whatever we want!  It's also our day for extra personal grooming such as haircuts, manicures, pedicures, facials, etc.  We also created a Saturday Activity Jar as a family, with a ton of suggestions for activities we can do as a family.  This way when our six year old wants to play Barbies and Dad wants to go play frisbee and Mom wants to paint the bathroom, we choose something from the jar to do together.

Fridays...

Friday is dedicated for caring for our animals and the outside of our home

Friday:

Outdoors
"Dust" House, walkway, shrubs, porch
Wash Car
Weeding
Mow Lawn
Remove Debirs (leaves, garbage, etc.)
Pest Control
Water Indoor Plants (I know this is indoors, but it just made sense to me to put it here)

Animals
Clean animal pens
Clean animal water bowls
Baths (as needed)

And Thursdays...

Thursdays are for planning.  Our Father in Heaven created the sun, moon, and their order (the calendar) on the fourth day, so this is the day for  our 'calendaring.'

Thursday:

Planning
Household Planning
Personal Planning (personal goals like scripture study, exercise, projects)
Events/ Birthdays
Schedules/ Appointments

Finances
Bill Paying
Budgeting
Filing

Wednesdays...

Wednesdays are our 'food' days.  This day is for anything related with food. Homemade, nutritious foods are important to us, so we have a whole day out of the week dedicated to planning, preparing, shopping, recipe finding, etc.  Not that we go shopping every week, but this would be the day to do it, when we are...

Wednesday:

Food
Recipe Gathering
Menu Planning
Grocery List
Food Prep (Bread Making, Granola Making, Yogurt Making, Cheese Making)
Food Storage

On Tuesdays...

Tuesday is Stock and Laundry Day.  We buy in bulk and have more user friendly sized containers that we refill, so those smaller containers are the ones we refill on Tuesdays.

Stock (refill)
Toilet Paper
Q-Tips
Cotton balls
Bathsoap
Handsoap
Shampoo
Laundry Detergent
Conditioner
Razors
Coconut OIl
Castile Soap
Towels
Washcloths
Vitamins

Laundry
Washing
Folding
Ironing
Mending
Coordinating Dad's clothes

So on Mondays...

We took a little twist on Betty's interpretation of how to do things, but we've clung to her basic ideas.  We're going to share how we do Mondays...

Monday is "Organizing/ Cleaning" day.  We have kept the organizing and cleaning order that Betty suggests just because it really works.  She suggests you do it in this order for visual motivating purposes (it LOOKS cleaner faster) and because if someone drops in, it looks cleaner to them too!

Monday:

Organize
Straighten the House
Dump Garbages
Elminate Clutter Piles (more on what to do with those piles in another post)

Clean
Dust every room (pictures, blinds, knick-knacks, wall hangings, etc.)
Vacuum/ Sweep/ Mop (in this order)
Wash mirrors
Clean Bathrooms (counters, sinks, tubs, showers, toilets)
Clean Kitchen (counters, sinks)
Wash windowsills, light switches, doorknobs
Wipe down spiderwebs
Wash windows (I have to admit this doesn't get done as often as it should...I've usually run out of energy by the time I get to this and would rather complete a project since the windows get dirty the first time the wind blows)

In The Beginning...

On the first day, God organized matter, divided the light from the dark (Genesis 1:1-5).  On the second day He separated the waters from the Heavens (Genesis 1:6-8).  On the third day He created organic life (seeds, plants, etc.) (Genesis 1:9-13).  On the fourth day was created the sun, moon, and it's timing (Genesis 1:14-19).  On the fifth day He created animal life (Genesis 1:20-23).  On the sixth day man was created (Genesis 1:26-27).  On the seventh day, He rested and sanctified the seventh day (Genesis 2: 1-3). 

Betty Meyers created "The Creation Plan," "A Seven-day Approach to Guilt-free Homemaking."  Her book is now out of print, but not outdated in its wisdom. 

We have recently reorganized our home to follow her ideas of following God's plan in His creating the earth to create harmony and organization within our home and implemented some of our own that go along!

This is our journey.