Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cabinets, Pt. 2

Here's how I was able to keep some semblance of normalcy while on bed rest with Little One.  Because I wrote out the boys' schedule, what they would eat, when they napped and played and all the little details about their lives, I could relax a little and let my mom take over.  When my neighbor had time and could come over and help, all she had to do was come in, look at the clock, then open my cabinet door to see what the kids were doing next.  Darling didn't have to ask how I did the laundry or where we kept the extra detergent.

If you are on bed rest or if you have a very helpful MIL or a mom who wants to help with your little ones or if you have the opportunity to leave for the weekend while your husband keeps the kids, I strongly encourage you to write out what someone would need to know to do your job as a SAHM.

The boys' daily schedule, with recipes above.  This list is still up for two reasons: One, it helps me when my brain fails and I need to remember what on earth we do after lunch.  Two, I'm a sentimental fool and can't bear to take it down until I know how I want to store/preserve it.  

"If boys are busy and happy and you need a diversion..."  This is my "how to help me around the house" list.

All the emergency info.

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cabinets Pt. 1

I have a secret.  I post my two favorite baking recipes inside my kitchen cabinets.  Awhile ago, Darling said, "you're amazing, who just decides to make biscuits for dinner and 15 minutes later there are hot, buttery biscuits on the table?"  Sigh - now you know why I call him "Darling."  How could I not?

I digress.

The secret to my success with getting biscuits on the table is several years ago I wrote out the recipe (and it's doubled and tripled self) on a piece of paper and stuck it on the inside of cabinet door.  Now, when I want biscuits, I open the cabinet to the glasses and voila, there it is.  I did the same with my tweaked pancake recipe.  The base recipe is on the inside of the cabinet and I adjust the flour/grains every time I make it, based on what I have available.

So there.  My secret's out.  Use it for your own good.  Recipes you love that make your family happy should go where you can find them easily.  And who cares what the inside of your cabinets looks like?  If anyone knows you well enough to come into your home and look for her own glass, she should know you well enough to not care about your "notes to self."

The evidence:

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Cheese

We go through a lot of cheese in our house.  I got tired of grating my own cheese and/or buying expensive shredded cheese at the grocery store.  We started buying the big 5 lb.-bag of cheese at the warehouse club several years ago.  So what do I do with that huge bag of cheese?

This:

Gather your cheese (duh), scissors to cut open the bag, quart sized-freezer bags, and a permanent marker to label the bags.

Label 5-6 bags with the date - including the YEAR.  I used to just label the day and month, then would wonder what year I put them in the freezer.  Major duh.  So, lesson learned: label at least the month and year.  Mystery bags in the freezer are not ideal.

Open all the labeled bags and fold back the tops to keep them open.  

Slice open the cheese bag down the center and across the sides.  Then, holding the bad over the cheese, place handfuls of cheese in the bags.  (Learn from my mistake of getting shredded cheese all over the kitchen floor.)

Seal the bags, working out as much air as possible.  Then, place the cheese in your freezer.  Helpful hint: Try to keep all the cheese in the same general area in the freezer.  It's nice to be able to determine with a glance if you need to buy more cheese. 

~ G

Tips and Tricks for Domestic Sanity - Kitchen Pt. 1

Periodically, I'll post some tips and tricks for domestic sanity.  No, it isn't crafty - but it is domestic.

Today I'm going to 'fess up and tell you that if you come to my house mid-morning, you'll see a dirty kitchen.  That's right.  It'll be dirty.  But, if you're here after lunch, you'll see that it's clean.  It'll (usually) be clean before bedtime again.

Somewhere in my journey to domestic bliss, I learned that if I became a slave to keeping my kitchen clean, I'd never sit down. I'm the mom in a family of five. We do a lot of eating and a lot of dish dirtying.  Now, instead of rushing in to clean the kitchen every time it gets dirty, I wait until the kids are eating.  We sit down and eat dinner as a family, but during breakfast and lunch I serve as a go-fer.  Who am I kidding?  I am a go-fer at dinner, too.  The only difference is that at dinner I make a concerted effort to SIT with the family and eat.

The rest of the time, I clean the kitchen and talk with the kids while they eat.  It serves a dual-purpose.  The kitchen gets clean and I visit with the kids while they eat.  Okay, really it's a triple purpose - I don't have to sit and look fascinated when the kids talk about legos for the gagillionth time.  Plus, it gives them a chance to talk without me interfering.  I'm in the room, I hear what's happening, I follow the conversation, interjecting when appropriate and I get the kitchen cleaned while they're eating.  I'm also already up on my feet when go-fer duty calls.  By the end of the meal, they're full, we've visited, I'm not insane from talking about Kung Fu Panda (again), and the kitchen's cleaned.

How often/when do you clean your kitchen?

~ G