WFMW - Travel Size Room Freshner

Previously posted 12/18/2007
This past fall we found ourselves running hither and yond attending two of our son’s football games. A few times they were on the same night but in different cities. Most of the time we were traveling to games three nights a week between the son who was a freshman, the son who plays junior varsity, and then of course the varsity games.

My daughter and I have found a couple of things that are imperative to have when you were traveling and are unsure of what you will find in regards to the ‘facilities’.

I carry in my purse a small travel pack of handy wipes, a small pack of Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and our favorite item that we never leave home without, Bath and Body Works Room Sprays. We are particularly fond of the fresh, fruity smells. They are small and fit in my handy pouch and you can often catch them on sale 2/5.00. They are regularly 5.00.

When I took our daughter on a trip to New Mexico and Colorado we felt empowered with our little concentrated can of freshness. We felt like we were helping every small town quick stop/gas station/restroom between OKC and Denver, Colorado smell fresh for up to four hours after we had infused the room with these great sprays. We felt like we were being good stewards and leaving the world a little better than we found it for the next weary traveler. It sure made our trip more pleasant. Really makes the hotel rooms smell great too! Kinda like traveling potpourri in a can!

My daughter has commented that the next time we take a trip together we need to buy a case of the sprays and leave them in each place we stop. Hmmm that is a thought which leaves me with another, we also made note of those places on our route that were clean, friendly, and made us feel safe, so that next time we head back to see our friends in Denver we know just where to stop. Works for us! For more ideas, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer and Works for Me Wednesday.

Simplifying Gift Giving

Many years ago I read an interview with Kathy Lee Gifford in a women’s magazine where she spoke of giving their small children only three gifts at Christmas since that is all the Three Wise Men brought to Christ. It really resonated with me at the time. I was a newly single mom and money went from abundant to below poverty level after my husband walked out. So, when I read the interview with Kathy Lee it really touched my heart. This interview was at the height of her ‘celebrity’ so if this icon of the talk show realm simplified her Christmas then surely I could do the same.

This gave me such freedom! I can pinpoint when my bargain shopping came into being…out of necessity…those first years as a single mom. The Lord was giving me insight and preparing me for ten years in the future when I would meet my current husband who was raising three young ones alone.

This is what we do. We ask them to tell us something they need, something they want, and something fun. Out of the three presents we try to have one that is the ‘big’ present or the most desired. I pick up items throughout the year for their stockings. I really put a lot of neat things in their stockings and some are need items. I hit CVS when I can get razors, hair care products, and makeup for free. With three young men and a young lady in the house items like these are very welcome. I also pick up CDs when stores have them on sale. I have put in Sonic gift cards, Taco Bell gift cards, and movie theatre gift cards. I think this year gas cards would be welcome too since we will have three drivers in our home!

Gift giving for their high school friends is another area that takes time, effort, and a little bargain shopping to really score some awesome deals. Our daughter is really the only one that likes to give gifts to EVERYONE. We have given mini bottles of Bath and Body Works items in cute little toiletry bags, mani/pedi sets, mini photo/scrapbook albums, journals, and picture frames. We also have given her friends bags of Christmas candy all tied up with a cute bow and ornament. This year we are making the candy instead of buying it. At the end of the Christmas season we will stock up again on bags, bows, tags, and ribbon for next year. Also there will be lots of great gift sets and the like that one can purchase for pennies and will be great gifts for next year!

Probably one of the most appreciated presents I have given my nieces were their Journal Jars five years ago. I purchased a beautiful journal and pen for each of them and made a bookmark. I then bought clear plastic jars and decorated them with scrapbook paper and paint pens. I typed out journal prompts on my computer and ran them off on brightly colored paper. I cut them out and folded them in half then dropped then in the jar. Some strips had favorite Bible verses on them and with a prompt to tell what this verse means to you, or one prompt asked them to write down what they were most thankful for in their parents. All in all I had around 100 prompts for each girl.

This year we are focusing more on giving gifts of time and things homemade for our friends and family. Our teenagers will still get something that they really want and they will have a great Christmas but our prayer is that once the day is over they will not feel let down that they did not have a gazillion presents but that they are thankful for what they were given and the memories created. For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas head on over to Rocks in My Dyer.

WFMW 10-29-08

If you have teenagers you know they love facebook and photos. I have a facebook account and have had one for nearly five years....before it was cool. I work at a university and that is what prompted me to get one since our university was 'logging' onto the new culture at the time. Now my teens have facebook and Mom has the passwords and frequently checks it out and they have strict parameters, etc. Many of their friends are now my friends too. But this is not the reason for my post.

What has become really neat for me as a parent is snagging the photos that their friends, youth workers, Sunday School leaders, pastors, etc put on facebook that 'tag' my children. Tagging is placing their name on their picture so that it shows up in their photo area of their facebook. I have been saving all these pictures to my computer in hopes of doing something for each of my children. I save them into folders by child's name, year, activity such for example: a folder titled Seth, inside that folder are the years 2007, 2008; then inside the year folders are catagories: FOOTBALL, Church, School, etc.

I have finally decided what this busy working Mom can do with the plethera of awesome pics from every event they attend, school, sports, friends, etc. I have begun to make small flip books for each of them. I have the football books by year, the summer beach camp with church, school year, etc. Most free photo storage sites have this capability like snapfish and a host of others. I personally love snapfish! Right now most of these sites are running specials. The small flip books today were priced at 4.99. That is really reasonable!



I have also saved the pictures of all their groups of friends and I am making a collage print for each of them.

I really don't have lots of time to sit and make scrapbooks and while I love them and have a few in progress I find that the costs are just too prohibitive at this time in our lives. However, the thing that they love the most is having something that showcases all their pictures. They are portable and really make a neat, thoughtful gift.

With the holidays coming up I think this would be an awesome way to make a stocking stuffer or a cute gift for friends. If you would like to see more great ideas head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday ideas!

WFMW 10-22-08

I have already begun the prep for holiday gift giving for my teenager daughter to give to her friends. Actually it started last year at the end of the Christmas season. When I saw cute frames, photo albums, jewelry, and the like I snatched them up and put them in my gift closet. Last year I snagged some great little mani/pedi kids from Bath and Bodyworks that will be given to some of my daughter's sweet friends. Our son's don't really give much to their friends..only their closest buds and then they want to give iTunes cards. I think it is really more of a girly thing to give gifts. My daughter gives to around 15 friends something for Christmas. So this year we have all the little items gathered for her friends who are all 14 nearly 15 years of age.

The other thing I do is when Hobby Lobby puts their Christmas wrapping/bags/tags on sale at the end of the season I am thinking about all the gifts I will be giving the next year. Last year I bought the CUTEST bags and ribbon to use for my daughter's gifts to friends. I always look for something unique and not holiday looking. Last year we used red paper and leopard print ribbon. This year we are going for the hot pink with zebra ribbon look. We also make the cards by hand that go with each gift with items I have purchased for pennies when they have been clearanced.

It does not take a lot of dough to come up with precious, thoughtful, and cute presents for teenage girls. As much as they will love what is on the inside they are also all about how it looks on the outside.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Homemade Bath Salts
Small scrapbooks and stickers
Photo albums
Photo Frames
Personalized Shadow Boxes
Candles
Miniature Bath and Bodyworks Products
Manicure/Pedicure kits
JEWELRY
Personalized Journals
Devotion Books and a Journal

These are just a few ideas. For more Works for Me Wednesday head on over to Shannon's Rocks In My Dryer.

WFMW 10-1-08

Kitchen Organization is crucial in helping keep the flow going in a busy household. Two of the most important items in my kitchen that I rely on may seem better suited in an office than in the kitchen.

I use a 3" binder for all my recipes that either have been printed off of the Internet or have been given to me. I use clear protective pages to keep them from getting messy or ruined. I have used this method since the early 90s. I keep only the recipes that I have used over and over again plus a few that I really want to try but have not had the chance yet. I also keep my meal planning information in this big binder as well as my Once A Month Cooking plans. It is a very valuable part of my kitchen.

My second item is one I have mentioned at least a couple of times on WFMW...my kitchen notebook! My kitchen notebook is priceless to me! I like to create meals without a recipe quite often. One of my son's would ask me if I had written down what I had done so that I could re-create the meal. One day after watching one of our favorite cooking shows we saw the chef using a small notebook to write down his meal creation as it took place. BINGO! So I began to do the same thing. I keep it in my utensil drawer with a pen. When I am mixing up a creation I pull it out and write down what I have done so that I can make it again!

Both of these items are important to my life in the kitchen! For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas go to Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 7-16-08

Back to School Madness

It is that time of year when families begin thinking about back to school. It is my favorite time of the year. I remember the long, hot days of summer when my Mom would bring me the back to school issues of Teen and Seventeen magazine so I could pour over the pages of fashion and get my ideas and plans together. I loved school supply shopping and look forward to it each year.

This is the TIME to buy your school supplies. Also if you have grown children now is the time to purchase those supplies for your own office or better yet buy a bunch and donate to your church or charitable organization. Donate to a single parent that you know to help ease their struggle. How about your neighbor that has been laid off from work? There are so many wonderful things you can do with these very inexpensive supplies!

For several years my church has had a back to school drive to help those single parents and others that were struggling. This year one of our pastors has felt the call to extend it to our community. We are hoping to reach 1000 families. Check out WeNeedSchoolSupplies.com. What a fantabulous idea to help those that are in a crisis right now.

Now is the time for me to stock up my supply closet and replenish those items that we have used in the past year. This is also the year that we buy a new backpack for our daughter entering high school. We buy Janzsport backpacks and they have a lifetime warranty. Our sons are still carrying the ones from middle school. You can usually find them on sale at Kohls and other stores for under 20.00. Many times we have found them on sale for under 10.00 at TJMaxx.

These ideas all work for our family. For more ideas check out Rocks in My Dryer. Thanks for stopping by!

WFMW 7-9-08

We have four children. The oldest is in college with the three younger being 16, 15, and 14 years of age. Our sixteen year old has now become the driver of choice with his younger siblings while we are both at work. We began to notice that Seth was driving his siblings wherever and whenever they wanted without any complaint. He is that kind of kid…..thoughtful, compassionate, caring, quiet, obedient….great young man. He drives a big, old 1992 Dodge truck his grandpa gave him when he got his driver’s license. The gas tank is HUGE and well, you know how expensive gas is right now. Too expensive for all these aimless trips to 7-11 for Icees or Sonic for Route 44s!

My husband instituted a plan that has worked wonders. He has told the two non-driving teenagers if they want to continue to ask their brother to drive them to friends houses, the pool, Starbucks, etc., then they need to give their brother so much per week to help pay for gas.

This has done two things….cut down on all the silly trips across town when they could either wait for us to get off of work or wait until the weekend on errand day. Two it has taught them that while it is AWESOME their big brother can now drive there is an expense to it. Seth pays for all his gas except 40.00 per month. We provide the 40.00. He pays his own insurance and has paid six months in advance and already has the next six months saved up.

It is common for teenagers to not understand the immense outflow of cash that takes place. It seems minimal to them all the running around that goes on but when gas is nearly 4.00 a gallon lifestyles need to change.

This has worked wonders so far. For more ideas head over to Shannon’s at Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 6-11-08

Healthy LifeStyle Notebook

Okay I admit it, I am a nut for notebooks of any kind. I have always been that type of gal that had a huge love of pen and paper. I mean when I was in the second grade I was designing clothes for my Barbie using my spiral notebook. Suffice it to say that I have a lot of organizational notebooks around my home and even more spiral notebooks! I buy them by the case when the back-to-school sales begin late summer. I justify it because I have four children that attend school and they usually need a notebook for each subject. A case is much cheaper. But I do digress…

Many of you have heard that if you just write down what you eat or drink it will help you keep track of your habits and calories for any given day. I have tried this in the past and have always given up the task. I found it at times to be too cumbersome or I would just plain forget to write down what I had eaten.

Last year I had a life changing event happen in my life and I decided to keep track of what I eat and how much I exercise. It worked wonderfully…..until I quit making time to do it! I am back on track now and I am so glad. I have finally figured out that for me I need the structure. It is also invaluable when you have an appointment with your doctor.

This is what I do:
I have found using an old fashioned steno pad is the best for me.

I write down everything that goes in my mouth. I also keep track of my blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight. I also put down how many minutes I have exercised (or not) and what I did for physical activity. I keep it near me at work and it comes out of my bag once I get home.

I have found now that it is like a dear old friend that I have missed. I write down my feelings or if I am really craving something I write that down and try to evaluate why I have such strong desires to deviate from my plan.

There are several online tracking sites that one can use but I have found that actually holdking the pen in hand and putting it to paper works best for me. For more Works for Me Wednesday check out Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 6-4-08

Today over at Rocks in My Dryer, the topic is “Mom, I’m bored!” What do you do when your children announce they are bored?

For my family, I have always had to work so I have not been able to be home the entire summer. I always made sure there were plenty of activities and down-times as well. Now that they are teenagers I seem to hear I am bored more frequently on the weekends when their friends may be on vacation or they have lost rights to the television.

On the times that I was off work and if the boredom blues hit the kids these are a few standbys that always worked:

Creating something with the craft items I have on hand. Many times we have made Christmas ornaments in July or jewelry. Working on scrapbooks is another great pastime!

SWIMMING….WATER FIGHTS…..WATER BALLOON FIGHTS….WATER FUN!!! You can never fail with water fun….get some great sunscreen and have a blast!

Check out the library for activities for youth in the summer…these are always free and very educational.

We have had a movie fest before….watch every Mary Kate and Ashley movie or Star Wars…pop some popcorn throw some pillows on the floor and have a fun time watching movies together as a family.

In my experience when kids are bored they are really saying they want YOU and to spend time with YOU. That however is my own experience. Very rarely have I heard those words from my four children.

These are a few things that work for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday posts head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Works for Me Wednesday 5-28-08

For the past several summers our boys have worked for my husband in his lawn business that he has on the side. Each summer they rake in the bucks. They tithe, save, and Seth is now paying his car insurance with this money. They also use it for some spending money for going out with friends to movies or out to eat.

However, our sweet baby girl is 14. She loves children and is very good with them. She has had a sweet gig for a family in our neighborhood this semester babysitting but we are not certain if it will continue through the summer months. She loves to shop and is hoping to make some extra cash this summer. This summer I am going to try something new with my daughter. She has asked if she can work for me around the house this summer. Now I could demand that she do certain things but I want her to have a great work ethic as the boys have and the only way to do so in my opinion is for the child to have something to work for...a goal.

Our girl is a great helper. She will make such a wonderful wife and mom one day. She has asked if she could do housework for me. We are coming up with a list for her to do each week and a wage that we will pay her. She is very excited. The only stipulation that we require is that she tithe 10% and save at least 20%. The rest is hers to use as she sees fit...within our family rules/guidelines.

She is so excited. Now I will be thrilled if she sticks it out. It can be very helpful but I also want her to have an awesome summer. Currently I am praying for wisdom in how to handle this with her and what tasks would be the best for her to take on. We are having an employee meeting on Friday night to discuss this 'job'. :)

I love it that our children are more independent when it comes to money and the things they want. They all certainly know that there is much more satisfaction in working for something than always having things handed to them.

As parents of four children, three who are teenagers and one who is 20, the costs continue to rise. A few things we have done with our kids that have taught them the value of the dollar over the years are as follows:

We pay up to 35.00 for athletic shoes/back to school shoes. If they want the latest and greatest athletic shoe for back to school, for example 100.00 shoes, they have to come up with the difference. This has taught them various ways to look for their shoes. We discovered our favorite shoe store, DSW, by looking for great places to shop. We were thrilled when Oklahoma City finally got a DSW last year. Also Ross Dress for Less has been the greatest place for us to find the boys football cleats.....TRULY....we have purchased Addidas or Nike football cleats the past two years at Ross that were a fraction of the cost at the Athletic stores.

We have really focused on the needs/wants with our children. They don't have all the latest and greatest when they first come out. We want to teach them contentment and patience.

Our children all have cell phones. Since the boys were earning money they paid up front last summer for a year of service for their cell phones. We still pay for our daughter, however, this summer she is paying for part of that service. They each picked out their phone and as long as it was free on our plan that was fine...or if there was a charge for the phone they paid for it. Each of them chose the free phone.

Where we find the greatest lack of contentment in their peers is with cell phones. Their friends change phones the way a lot of people buy shoes! It is amazing! Our teens have become resourceful because of their friends lack of contentment. Many times our children have gotten barely used phones from their friends either for free or a small charge (ten bucks). None of our three younger children still use the phone provided for them last summer...however they all have the 'hot' phones that parents are buying for their teens....only difference is our children have found a way to have the hot phones without the high price.

Same thing has happened with the iPod. We bought them inexpensive MP3 players one year for Christmas. However, as technology changes and new devices become available many teens do not want their 'old' ones. Our sixteen year old has a great 20g iPod from a friend that asked if he wanted it because he was getting the new 400.00 iPod. Is our son any less excited because he did not get it when it first came out? Maybe if he had been younger but now they have learned that if one is patient and saves for what they want....time is on their side.....it has been a great lesson.

There is so much more on this subject but for now these are some of the things that work for us in this ever changing world. For more Works for Me ideas drop by Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 4-9-08

I have a hard time getting to the gym. I admit it! I hate going plus if I went with my husband each morning I would be getting up at 4 a.m.! I just don't have the fortitude that he does to do that! However, I have found something that seems to work for me right now. I get up a little earlier and go outside on our back patio where I have some workout equipment. I try to work out for at least fifteen minutes. Now to some that seems like nothing but I am trying to get in the habit of working out and for me.....this is working.

The next thing I have been doing is I park further from my office at work. I use this time to walk briskly into my office building each morning. I get four brisk walks in each day this way: arrival, leaving for lunch, coming back from lunch, and leaving work at the end of the day. I also get up from my desk a couple of times and walk the halls for a few minutes. Once I get home for the evening I usually hit the workout equipment for another fifteen minutes. I need activity and I have been trying to find an alternative to getting up so early and hitting the gym. I know that I am going to need to have a more advanced work out but currently I just want to learn to enjoy it and schedule time for it.

With today's gas prices I just can't see taking separate cars to the gym each morning. If I rode with my husband I would be finished with my workout and waiting for him at least 40 more minutes. I have my morning things to do and can't take this much time out of my day.

This works for me right now. I hope that in the near future we can move our membership to a gym that is closer to our home but for now this works great. Do I love to get up and exercise....NO....do I love how I fell afterwards......YES......Works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts go to Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 4-2-08 Greatest Hits Edition

Shannon is hosting over at Rocks in My Dryer a Greatest Hits edition of Works for Me Wednesday. Below is one of my most popular posts from the past four months:

When I was growing up my Mom did everything for us. I dusted on Saturdays and attempted to keep my room neat and clean, but overall the most I ever remember doing was making chocolate chip cookies a few times, folding laundry, filling the dishwasher, and cleaning my room. I never even cooked or helped cook a meal until I was engaged to be married!

I admit that I am not very proud of this fact, however, I think it was also easier for my Mom to just do it herself. I was very busy with church and school activities, babysitting, and later in high school an after school job. I still have the little note that my Mom sent to me the first week of college that explained how to use the washing machine in the basement of my dorm! I mean I did not know how to even wash a load of clothes!

This brings me to my Works for Me Wednesday post. When I married my husband seven years ago and went from a single again parent of one child to a Mom of four, I knew I would need a plan for chores, responsibilities, rules...all the things that children normally have growing up in a family. However, three of my precious ones had lost their Mom three years prior and while my husband is absolutely the best, men were not created to be mothers just as mothers were not created to be fathers. I learned all I could about their Mom and what her teaching style had been for her three sweet ones and went about trying to come up with a plan.

It was one sweet act by a seven year old brunette with brilliant blue eyes that helped me see that there could be another way. In the long run, I would be teaching my children how to take care of themselves and not feel so lost as I had felt.

I came to this decision after our youngest, Hannah, had watched me intently each time I loaded the washer and dryer. She would pull a step stool up to watch and would ask questions. She was like a little sponge...taking it all in. Her Mommy had died when she was only three and a half. After living in a household full of boys for three years she was very excited to have a Mom to follow around.

One day I came home and she very proudly showed me the freshly washed towels all folded neatly and ready to be put away. I sat down and cried. Here a sweet seven year old had learned something that I did not until I was 18! She was so excited and felt so proud. It was after this sweet display of love I decided that maybe I could start with the oldest and see if this would work. I would teach them how to sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away their laundry. My husband and I discussed this and after a little research we decided sixth grade was a great jumping off point to begin this endeavor.

So my quest began. I would like to say it has worked like a charm and that there have been no problems, but I can't....I have four teenagers...three of whom are boys....however, each child has their own wash day with the washer and dryer solely devoted to them. They mainly do their jeans, uniforms, underwear, etc. Mom still does the shirts/blouses that need special care and towels. Many times I surprise them and scoop it up and do it for them. I realize that these four young adults are much further ahead in life than I was back in 1979. They each know their way around the kitchen (that is another post), can keep a home neat, and can operate a washer and dryer.

I hesitated to even post this, but I have seen the pride they each take in this ability. It has been a rite of passage in our home when each one entered the sixth grade. The boys come in after a hard practice or game and the first thing they do is stick their dirty uniforms in the washer. It has taught them responsibility in a very tangible way. It has worked for our family and brought about many positive attributes.

For more Works for Me Wednesday post, head on over to Shannon's at Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 3-26-08

Life keeps coming fast and since we are now through with spring break there are only nine weeks left in the school year! Summer is upon us friends!

It has always been a challenge for me as a working mom to fill the summers with fun and excitement for my children. Now that they are teenagers that fun usually means a significant outlay in cash!

We try to encourage volunteerism in our teens. For the past four summers our boys have volunteered at the Endeavor Games at the University of Central Oklahoma. The Endeavor Games is a nationally-recognized competition that allows all athletes with physical disabilities to participate in a multi-sport event similar to the Paralympics. The Games also provides training clinics for aspiring athletes. Click here to view 2007 Endeavor Games Video. They have become great friends with a lot of the athletes that come each and every year. It kicks off their summer each and every year.

Vacation Bible School is also another great time to have your teens volunteer. They can make the difference in a young child’s life while serving a worthwhile cause. Our daughter has volunteered at VBS as soon as she was old enough to help. One of our boys always helps with the skits. Our church loves to have teens help with VBS.

Another way our teens get involved is to serve as junior sponsors at our church sponsored Kid’s Kamp. Two summers ago a terrible virus spread rapidly through the camp. Many told us how much they appreciated our sixteen year old son (who was 14 at the time) and the way he comforted the eight and nine year old boys that were very sick. Even many of the sponsors got the virus. Seth cared for these throwing up boys and gave up his sheets and sleeping bag to those that had… ahem… mishaps. The point is….he could have begged off sick and let an adult take charge of those sick little boys but he stepped up to the plate and served and cared for them.

Beginning right now many communities will be putting out their calendars for the coming summer months. If you have teenagers find ways for them to volunteer. I would much rather my children serve others than sit in front of the television/video games all day or hang out at the pool each day. Volunteering prepares them for greater things in their adulthood. It develops their character and teaches them compassion. As with anything, a parent must be wise about when and where they let their teens volunteer. Be sure and check credentials if you let them volunteer somewhere other than your own church.

One more thing before I close….many teens get into trouble in the summer months because there is a lack of structure/parental involvement. One event that took place last year among one of our sons friends is each night (at least it seemed like each night) the kids ended up at one of their friends homes. The parents hosted them for the evening with snacks and supervision. Some parents had pools, some had big screen TVs with Guitar Hero and yet others had plenty of games to keep the kids occupied. It was a great time of bonding for the youth of our church who were all going to be attending five different high schools for the first time that fall.

Many times parents may feel that once their children hit the teen years that their job is nearly done. In our experience our teenagers love knowing we are involved and in touch with what is going on today in their culture. Parents, they want you to be involved and they want BOUNDARIES. Find ways this summer to give them opportunities to shine through the gift of volunteering their time. Works for our family!

Here are few more things you can read about teens and volunteering:
Teens and Volunteering
http://www.bygpub.com/books/tg2rw/volunteer.htm
http://life.familyeducation.com/volunteer-work/teen/29594.html

For more Works for Me Wednesday visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 3-19-08

In a large, busy family someone is always needing a pen, pencil, sissors, tape, paper clips, etc. I have solved that problem for our family and it was relatively easy and simple.

Two years ago I purchased on clearance at Target a cute little desk organizer that spins around and is very compact. I store our pens, a permanant marker, mini stapler, scissors, pencils, and the like in this cute little organizer. It sits on top of one of those mini three drawer towers that you can find at your local dollar store. Mine is clear and it is trimmed out in bright cherry red which matches my kitchen. Inside the drawers I store the tape, a glue stick, notepad, and the top drawer I use to put my rings in when I come home from work and begin to cook dinner.

This has been so helpful. It works better than the item that used to serve this purpose. I used previously for years a plastic, magnetic basket that fit on the side of my fridge and it held all those items but it would sometimes get knocked off or someone would spill its contents on the floor. Every now and then I still find the scissors put back in the container because we still use it but for important info from school for the kids.

This works for us great! For more Works for Me Wednesday head over to Shannon's Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW 3-12-08

I love to decorate and have always taken great pleasure in coordinating my home decor. Something that has really worked for me in the past is placing items of inspiration into a three ring binder. I use the clear insert pages plus I also use some of the pockets that are made for a binder.

I keep what most would call a storyboard in the binder that has samples of fabric, paint colors (with name and vendor), wallpaper samples, flooring, etc. I also keep in a small pouch in my bag paint chips, wallpaper and/or fabric samples so if I am out shopping and I see something for my home I can match it up right away with the small samples I have with me.

In this binder I also keep ideas that I have found on the Internet, blogs, magazines, and brochures. It works as my dreamboard and the place I start formulating ideas for the rooms that I want to re-do or the few that I have yet to tackle.

Having a place for all these items helps me keep my ideas together in one place. I keep my notes in one of the pockets so that I can update as needed. It is also very handy to keep business cards of contractors available so I always know where I can find the information when I need it.

I have placed an image below of the cover I created for my binders in Publisher, however, the darling black and white checked border did not show up and that is a shame. It really sets it off! I have binders for everything...household, home inventory/warranties, kitchen notebook, and my great ideas binder.

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas head on over to Shannon's at Rocks in My Dryer!

WFMW - 3-5-08

This week is a Backwards Edition of Works for Me Wednesday. Last time was such a great help for me when I posed the question about making bread.

I would love to hear from those that keep a written budget, either pen/paper or computerzied. I have always been a little leery having the information accessed on my computer. I have never been sure of the security features of software such as Quicken or Microsoft Money. We have Dave Ramsey's software and I have saved a few templates from Microsoft in Excel. So my question is for all of you that have a monthly budget, how do you do it? Paper, ledger, Excel, Binder, Software.....please fill me in. Also if you have success with the envelope system I would love to hear about this as well. Come on everyone....I know you have great ideas!

WFMW - 2-27-08 The Best Laid Plans

Tuesday night the plan was to have Tostadas. Somehow with all the sickness going around our home the last two weeks, and my inability to function up to par, I totally forgot that I had no tortillas until that magic hour when I arrive home from work and realize I need a 'Plan B' and quick!

Something about growing teenage boys in the home really adds to the stress of getting dinner on the table since they are ALWAYS hungry plus they point out how hard they worked out at practice after school, etc.

I threw something together that we will recreate again! I thought I would share it in blogdom.

I had about a pound and a half of already cooked and seasoned turkey meat in the fridge. I opened my last two cans of pork and beans and put them in a greased 9 x 13 pyrex dish. I added the turkey meat. I threw in probably a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, the last bit in a bottle of barbeque sauce, mustard, a little ketchup, a sprinkle or two of worcheshire sauce then stirred it all up together. I took two cornbread mixes I had in the freezer and quickly opened them up and added a little milk (I never read directions....I love to create) a few dollops of sour cream, a handful of cheddar cheese from the freezer and mixed it up. I spread it out on top of the meat and bean mixture. I then topped it off with a little more cheese. I popped it in a pre-heated oven 400 degrees and set the timer for 20 minutes.

I pulled it out once it was a golden brown on top and actually it was in the oven around 26 minutes. Meanwhile I took a few more dollops of sour cream (probably was around 4 oz) and mixed in our favorite seasoning of the moment, Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning. I mixed it up and once I served the hot dish up everyone who chose to added a little bit of the spiced up sour cream on top.

In the words of my 16 year old son, "This is delish....make this again Mom", our 13 year old daughter, "Oh man this is great...I love this!" and finally our super duper picky 19 year old son, "This is good, will you make it again?" Our 15 year old son missed out because he was at a friends house. It had a great flavor. I wished that I had not ran out of our favorite barbeque sauce but I had enough to give it a little flavor.

It sounds like a weird combination but I had to think fast and put something on the table quick. It is not something I can eat very often because I feel it is not on my healthy eating plan and I am not aware of a healthy cornbread. I wanted to take a picture of it when it came out of the oven but the group was circling and they were hungry!

I must say that when I have times like this and I create something out of almost nothing the meals are always the best. I am not some great, fantastic cook. I like to get in and get out. I have learned though to not get so uptight in the kitchen and for the most part, my teenagers are not picky.

So this one goes down in the infamous kitchen notebook to be brought out again very soon!

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas go to Rocks in My Dryer!

WFMW 2-6-08

Today is a theme day at WFMW and it is about online shopping. I admit that I was never much of an online shopper before 2007s Black Friday. I was super sick during the Thanksgiving break and had so many deals I was prepared to purchase but could not shop due to the flu. I discovered I could purchase most of everything I had on my list online and still receive the Black Friday sales. So I was hooked!

I love to shop online at Bath and Bodyworks, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Macy's. I have been added to their email lists and I receive coupons and notices from them regularly about deals that have not hit their stores yet. I love it! Works for Me! For more ideas, go to Rocks in My Dryer!

WFMW - 1-30-08

As a mom of four children, I am all about time-savers! I have always loved Valentine's Day, even as a child. I loved decorating the shoe box for school so that my friends could put their cards to me in the recesses of this cute box. I have loved picking out cheesy cards for my children to give on this day each year. Sadly, we no longer have to buy cards for kids in the classroom since my children are now teenagers.

I have one great time saver that I used all through my children's lives. I would watch for Wal Mart to start putting out the Valentine aisle, which was usually right after Christmas. I would then take my children and have them pick out the cards that they wished to give their classroom friends. We would then take them home and immediately do the cards. I kept a class roster in my family household notebook so it always made it handy. Most years we had them all signed and the envelopes decorated by the middle of January. I would then put the cards in a large ziploc bag and kept them in a safe place until the day of the party or when they were required to bring them to school. I would notate on the bag which child the cards belonged to so that I would not be expected to remember in a month!

This worked out beautifully! No more late night tears trying to write out all the names, no more rushing around trying to find the right cards along with every other parent in town, plus we could have the pick of the lot and usually the cutest cards because we were first in buying them. And most of all, it made my children have a sense of pride for accomplishing something that in the past was frustrating to them, especially the boys.

That is what always Worked for Me when my children were young. Buy early, do them immediately, and sit back and enjoy getting ready for all the great Valentine parties at school!

Works for me! For more Works for Me Wednesday posts see Rocks in My Dryer!

WFMW - 1-23-08

Raising teenagers takes lots of time, energy, and investigative work. Many parents think that once their children reach being teenagers they can slack off a bit. Our middle school principle tells sixth grade parents each year at orientation,"Parents, this is not the time to slack off in being a parent. You need to be more attuned and watchful at this age...guiding them to make wise choices."

One area that I see many slacking off in is the area of going to the movies and what they allow their teenagers to see. The movie ratings really mean nothing to us. We have our own ratings system. We check everything out. Just because we have a nearly 14 year old daughter and two boys ages 15 and 16, they do not automatically get to attend any PG13 movie they so desire. We have raised my nearly 20 year old the same way and for the most part I believe he has made wise choices.

We have been shocked through the years by Christian parents that we know that allow their children to see any PG13 or 'R' rated movies. When our younger sons were around nine and ten years of age the movie the Matrix was very popular. They had friends from church that owned the movie. They were over at this friends house and when he pulled the movie out they told him that they were not allowed to see that type of movie. We have taught our children to blame it on us when it is appropriate..."No, my parents won't let me", or "No man, my parents would freak if I saw that...did that....etc.,"

What we are teaching our children is not about censorship but teaching them what to look for in entertainment and how to protect their minds and hearts. We do not want them to fill their mind with lustful things, foul language, s*xual situations, for the sake of entertainment. Garbage in equals garbage out.

There are two great resources that we utilize. One is free and the other has a yearly subscription that is worth it. We love James Dobson's Plugged In Online. It is free. It is a great resource for movies - current or video; music, print, or television. With our older boys we have gotten to a point where we will print the review off and ask them if this is the sort of thing they want to fill their mind with. Too be honest, anymore we let them make the decision, especially as they mature, but for the most part we tell them why we feel it would not be a good choice for them to see XYZ Movie. More often than not they change their mind and see something that they know would be more well-suited. Children want boundaries and just because they are now teenagers does not mean that they do not still want some sort of boundaries in life.

The other choice that used to be free but now goes by subscription rates is Screenit.com. This service tells you EVERY word that is said, every scene that is inappropriate and why it is inappropriate, the morality of the movie, whether there is drinking that is glorified, or situations that even as an adult I do not want to see in a movie.

We have also been known to go see the movie before allowing our children to view it but that was when they were much younger. Try to find like-minded friends that feel the same way you do about what movies to see or not see. I have learned the hard way that sometimes your closest friends or even family can steer you wrong. You have to know that you are like-minded on what you feel is inappropriate so that you are not surprised. Including your teenagers in the process helps teach them how to handle this type of temptation when they are older. It works for us!

For more Works for Me Wednesday see Rocks in My Dryer.