Morning Chaos

Have trouble remembering what needs to go out the door with the kids in the morning?  I do.

It's hard to keep up with what my son needs to take with him or wear because of the school activities that day.  Since he sometimes takes his lunch and sometimes eats the school lunch, I have a hard time remembering the lunch box.

Here's a cheap/free solution:

For each child, lay out enough index cards (I used colored ones) to cover what they need to take or wear for school that day.

Then, each evening, post the correct index card near the door you use to leave in the morning.  If you have a metal door, you could use a magnet to  hold the card.

If you have a one-off event, simply put a small post it on the card that day that contains the special event or special needs.

The Bag Eater!

Our kitchen trash can is one of those "bag eating" species. You know the kind. You put a fresh trash bag in it and the first time you drop something into it, the bag falls down into the can.

Last year, I saw a solution to this. It was to put a small bunjy cord around it. But, there was just something I didn't like about it. I'm not sure what. It could be that I'd have to go to the store and buy some.

Then, it dawned on me. Binder clips would work. And, I had TONS of them.

So, the pros were:

I already had them.
They were cheap if I needed to buy replacements.
I could wash them.

After about a year of using them, the verdict is in. . . THEY WORK GREAT!

You could probably use 2, but I use 3 because I'm a detail person.

So, stop digging the bag out of the trash can and do something more fun and/or productive!

And Here We Go . . .

I'm trying to start with simple pins to start with.  And, hopefully ones where I already have the majority of the supplies on hand somewhere in that scary basement craft area.

A little background . . . I love to bake and can.  They are two of my favorite things.

So, the pin that suggested putting your cupcake papers in a mason jar to keep them from getting crushed was a no-brainer when I saw it.  Can't imagine why I never thought of it on my own.

What You'll Need:

1 Wide Mouth Quart Canning Jar
1 Lid & Ring To Match The Jar
Cupcake Papers.

Time it took me to do this: (including finding the jar & lid) 3 minutes.

1.  Put your cupcake papers into a clean wide-mouth quart canning jar.
2.  Put lid & ring on jar.
3.  Put with all of your other baking needs.

 

TADA!

 

 

Hi, My Name Is Arlene D. And I Am A Potential Hoarder

Yup, the first step is admitting you have a problem.  And I do.  It's not hoarder actually (or so I like to believe) but the potential for hoarding.  I like to say say that it's not hoarding if you organize it and use it.

However, both of those ships have sailed in my life.  Lots of cool things can be found (if you look hard enough) in my basement.  Scrapbooking materials, jewelry making stuff, a sewing machine, some American flag material, pipe cleaners, all sorts of markers, plastic bottles, food cans, paper towel tubes, toilet paper tubes, a bunch of animal teeth & claws and boxes . . . I have an extensive cardboard box collection.

See, the smell of a new project is intoxicating to me.  So, I start gathering things.  Then, I get sidetracked or the project seems overwhelming and I throw it aside.

Then Pinterest came along.  The first few times I looked at it, I didn't get it.  Then, suddenly I understood.  Now I hoard Pinterest pins.  It's my place to put things I'll never do.

Yesterday, searching for some specific things, I decided it's time to stop hoarding and start doing.  So, here is my journey.  I will try to pick a pin or two a week and complete them.  This will help use up some of my stash (hopefully) and let my creative juices start flowing.  Maybe it will even help with the procrastination gene I have in me.

Time to pick a couple of pins and get started.  The  journey of a thousand pins begins with the first one.

 

My Basement Craft Area