Organized for the New Year

Last year at the beginning of the year I mentioned one of my goals was to become more organized.  I made great strides during the year but I have a long way to go.  I wanted to share two great resources with you that have helped me this year and will continue to help me next year.

* One thing that I discovered towards the end of the year was Motivated Moms.  They have a printable calendar that tells you what to do each day to stay on top of keeping your house clean. The calendar does cost $8 for the year but it is well worth it.

I've only been using it for a few months and several of those weeks I was very sick but the weeks I've used it have been wonderful.  I feel like I have more free time because my time is now scheduled instead of randomly picking a few chores and hoping I got them done that day.  I keep the calendar on the fridge and mark off as I go so my husband can see what still needs to be done. Click here to visit Motivated Moms.

* Another resource I wanted to share is a new bible study from Christie Love.  You might remember that I won a organizing phone call from her earlier this year.  Starting this Sunday evening, she will be holding a time management bible study via Facebook and Twitter.  It is free to join and if you RSVP for Sunday night's Twitter party you will be entered to win prizes.


Feel free to share any other great resources you have for getting and staying organized. 

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Please take a few minutes this holiday weekend to remember why we celebrate this holiday.  

Merry Christmas!

Fun With Wrapping Paper

I discovered a great way to entertain my child this week - wrapping paper.  I gave him a leftover piece of wrapping paper and he has had a blast finding gifts for me around the house and wrapping it in that one piece of paper.  He does not use tape, he simply wads the paper up around the gift and hands it to me.  Once I open it, I give him back the piece of paper and let him find me something else.

This could even be turned into an educational activity by asking them to find a gift of a certain color or that starts with a particular letter.

Newest Giveaway Now Up

Yesterday I mentioned there would be a new giveaway today and it is now up .  Click on the link for a chance at winning a Chex cereal prize pack.

New Giveaways Up

Due to a sick family and way too many commitments, I am way behind on giveaways and my blogging goals for this month.  I happen to have a few extra minutes tonight so I've put up a new giveaway from Hamburger Helper.   

Tomorrow, yet another one will be going up and I will leave a link once it is available.  Remember, you must click through to the link in order to enter.  Comments left on this post will not count.

Quick Tip: Cranberries

A lot of holiday recipes call for cranberries but I used to shy away from those recipes because cranberries can get expensive.  A few years ago an acquaintance told me a little secret - dried cranberries are only $1 a box (4.25 oz) at Walgreens.  They are kept with their other dried fruits and while I'm not a fan of the other varieties the cranberries are great.  My kids love them too so I keep a few boxes on hand year round.

Teacher Gifts

It is that time of year again when everyone is wondering what to give their children's teachers or care givers for Christmas.  

About a month ago I sat down to figure out how many gifts I needed and I about had a nervous breakdown.  This past year has brought many changes in our life, including realizing my oldest is a special needs child.  Those details are for another post but he now has several therapists, attends regular school and special ed classes, and of course we are involved in church activities.  I stopped counting when I got to 15 people I would need gifts for just for this child - I still had another child to go too!  


I started digging through my gift area and my cupboards to see what I could come up with using items I already had and then I could fill in from there.  Here are a few of the ideas I came up with:

Brownie Pie

Gift Baskets - take all of those little samples and freebies you have and make a creative gift basket.  You can always spend a few dollars to fill it out with any items you do not have.

Apple Butter

Magnets - these are adorable and very inexpensive to make.

Pumpkin Bread

White Chocolate Popcorn

Gift cards from SwagBucks - you can earn free gift cards simply by searching the internet.  I almost always have an extra Starbucks card or two on hand simply for those last minute gifts I need.

Feel free to share some of your favorite teacher gifts in the comments section.  I'm always looking for new ideas and I know my readers would enjoy them too.

Update and Giveaway

I'm still alive around here but the blog has been silent this week as I've been fighting a cold that started the night before Thanksgiving.  I think I'm on the mend now but still not up to my normal self.

I have several giveaways to post over the next few weeks so keep checking back often.  In the meantime, check out my latest giveaway for an Old El Paso Family Taco Night prize package.  You must click on the link in order to enter, comments on this post will not count as an entry.