Organizing My Life with Evernote

(No one paid me anything to write this, although I'd happily accept a year of Evernote Premium in return for being such a nice blogger, if the Evernote people happen to find this...)

I've been looking for a solution for literally YEARS to the information overload that plagues me.  I think I've found it with Evernote.

Evernote is free.  You download the app to your phone and your computer, and you can access it through the 'net, too.  You can save images, photos, lists (with check boxes), web pages, PDF files, notes... and in the premium version you can save Microsoft Office documents.

I have to admit, I've had it on my phone for a long time without realizing its potential.  But yesterday I had some time to fool around with it, and I'm really excited about the possibilities...

One area where I have total info overload is recipes. I'll be surfing and I'll see something and think, "Gosh, I really want to try that!" but then when I sit down to plan our grocery list I have NO idea what to make.  I can't remember that there was this recipe on Allrecipes and that recipe on Pioneer Woman and so on.  Well, now when I'm surfing and I come across a recipe, I just "clip" it to Evernote.  Just this morning I made Oatmeal Pancakes from Smitten Kitchen (LOVE these) and I clipped it to Evernote (with a picture copied and pasted into the file!) so that next time I want to make them, I don't have to search for the recipe (and run the risk of finding the wrong Oatmeal Pancakes because I can't remember which blog it was, or the risk of the whole blog being taken down for whatever reason).  If the internet is down, I can still make them, because the file is mirrored on my computer.

I can scan in my own recipes and put them in the same "notebook."  Then, when I make them, I can take a picture with my phone and upload it to the recipe easily.  I can tag all of my recipes, too.  Entree, Beef, Chicken, Dessert, Must Try!, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Cookies....  The possibilities are endless, and it will make them easy to find.  And it's SEARCHABLE!

Now, imagine I'm at the grocery store and I suddenly have an urge to make pancakes...  I can call up the recipe on my iPhone and make sure I have all the ingredients (ok, bad example, because I always have all those ingredients, but if I wanted to make some exotic recipe that didn't just use pantry staples, and I couldn't remember if I needed lemon or lime or whatever, I'd have that information at my fingertips).  If I'm up in Grammaland and I want to make a new Christmas cookie with Mimi, we can pull up all my recipes on her computer and use them there.  And since it's web, phone, and computer based, I don't have to endlessly print out the same recipes (or type up the same recipes to send to someone - I can e-mail it to you straight out of Evernote).

Ok, so beyond recipes and groceries, I have plenty of ideas for how Evernote can simplify my life.  If I'm talking to someone and they mention a book I'd like to read, I can put it in a special note (with check boxes!!) called "Books to Read" - then, 10 years from now when I have time to read again, I can call up that list and have all those book titles at my fingertips.  Ditto for movies.  How many times have we been sitting in a theater watching previews and said, "That looks great!" but then we get to movie night and we can't think of anything to rent.  Oh my gosh, that happens every time!

Let's say I'm out shopping and I see something that my mom would love.  Well, we draw names at Christmas so I don't get her a Christmas present every year... but I could put a note called "gift ideas" in my phone, and jot it down, and then if I draw Mom I've already got an idea for her.  I could also clip a website to Evernote if I'm surfing and run across something I'd like to get for her.  Awesome, right?  I can't be the only one who gets to December and draws a total blank on what to get for everyone.

We get freezer beef every year.  I am considering making a checklist of what we get, then checking it off as I use it.  With the checklist function, there is a lot of potential for inventory. 

But wait, there's more!  If I'm on the phone with someone at work, and I need to take notes on the conversation to refer to later, I have a whole notebook called "Work" where I can keep that stuff, and tag it so that I can find it.  There are about a thousand ways I can use it at work, all of which are boring because they're work, so let's move on.

Kids' sizes?  In a note so that if I'm shopping without them I can remember what size shoe they wear.  I never remember shoe sizes.  I can put BJ's sizes in there, too. 

Medical stuff that I need to remember?  Note.  Tagged with the person's name.  Magically accessible from anywhere so that if (God forbid) we're in the ER and they need to know when something happened, I can call it up and tell them exactly.

We want to build a house in a few years.  As I'm surfing if I run across an idea I like, it goes into Evernote.  If it's in a magazine I can scan in the page.  If it's at someone's house I can take a picture with my phone.  So when we sit down to design our "forever" house, I'll have years worth of ideas at my fingertips.

I can even take pictures of the kids' art projects (or scan them) so I don't have to store the originals.  Tag them with the kid's name and date them, and poof!  Instant preservation.  It doesn't get much easier.

I just couldn't wait to share this tool with all of you.  I hope you find it as useful as I do!

WFMW: Treating a Cold

Is it cold and flu season already? Seriously? I still haven't recovered from last winter.

I'm a total whiner when it comes to being sick, but having a sick family is 1000 times worse. Now that "they" have taken away all medication for kids under 6 (because a bunch of stupid parents didn't know how to READ LABELS and calculate CORRECT doses, I might add...) we have to get creative in treating our sniffly, sick kids.

Here are my best tips and tricks:

1) Vapo-Rub - Johnson's and Vicks each make a baby formula of Vapo-Rub that no one has tried to take away yet. Smear it on their little chests at night so that they can sleep if they're snuffly.

2) Hot tea with honey - Apparently "they" have decided that kids can't have honey until they're 2 years old now. Whatever. Claire had already started drinking tea with honey by the time the doctor shared the new recommendation with me, so I'm playing fast and loose with this one and giving it to her anyway. She's 20 months old, for Pete's sake. I make half a cup of tea, add the honey, and then fill the cup with cold water. It's warm, not hot, but it seems to soothe scratchy throats and stuffy noses.

3) Chicken soup - Canned chicken soup is for the birds. Make your own. Use broth or bouillon, a piece of cut up chicken (or a can, in a pinch), some mixed veg from the freezer, and some egg noodles. It seriously doesn't take any more time to make than a can of soup, and it tastes SO much better. I add garlic and a bit of crushed red pepper to mine, which really helps the stuffies.

4) Use wipes on the nose - Kleenex is great (buy the extra soft for sick kiddos), but once their noses are all chapped and nasty, try using baby wipes instead, or a wet washcloth. It's soothing to the skin. Also, put some Vaseline on their faces (cheeks and under the nose, particularly) to prevent that chapped face look that is so common this time of year.

5) Tylenol/Ibuprofen - Hallelujah, these are still "ok" to use. I give a dose of Tylenol, then 3 hours later give ibuprofen, then 3 hours later give Tylenol, and so on, for maximum discomfort relief. If my kids still have livers by the time they're 10, it'll be a miracle, but my doctor said it was the way to do it...

6) Robitussin - I'm bad. I ignore recommendations. Fortunately, so does my doctor. Robitussin thickens up the mucus and helps them cough it up. Give it to them during the day. Be sure to call your doctor for the correct dose.

7) Benadryl - yeah, I know. No meds under 6. Blah blah blah. The people who said that don't have kids under 6. Call your doctor and get the dose for your child by weight (not age) and dope their little behinds up so you can sleep at night.

8) How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon - this book includes a line about getting sick "in a pail" and after eleventy trillion readings, MG now at least attempts to aim her puke for the pail.

9) Beach towels - who wants to do a million loads of laundry and care for sick kids? Put a towel under their head and shoulders in the bed, so if they miss the pail, you might be able to save the sheets if you act fast.

10) Vicks Early Defense - We used this a lot last winter, whenever we went to the museum, the library, the doctor's office, or any other germy place, and it really seemed to help keep us healthy.

11) Rest and hydrate - pop the kiddos in front of a movie with their tissues, their "pail," and their tea (or ginger ale) and let them veg. Now is not the time to be running around. Stay home as a public service to others, and relax your rules about television watching until everyone feels better.

12) Enlist help - if you're sick too (God forbid) find a sympathetic relative to come help you out. My mother in law came and helped out last time we were really sick, so we're going to take extra good care of her when she's old. I'm just sayin'. :)

Those are my best tips for caring for sick kiddos... Please leave yours in the comments!!

Visit Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for me Wednesday tips!!

WFMW: Shrinking

Regular readers of ye ol' blog will know that I've been hinting around about something called SparkPeople for the past couple of days... I wanted to save the full description for my WFMW post, so that I can share this tool (which is, essentially, what it is) with as many people as possible.

First, a little background... I started gaining weight with puberty, but unlike most of my peers, I didn't gain the height to balance it out (I'm 5'4"). And I love to cook, and I love food. And I really, really hate to exercise. Fast forward to 32 years of age, and I find myself with a lot of weight to lose. A lot. Like 85 pounds.

That would be IMPOSSIBLE for me to admit on the internet, for all the world to see, if it weren't for SparkPeople.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Over the years I've tried joining a gym (expensive, and absolutely no change in my body whatsoever), dieting (usually long enough to go to the store, buy all the diet food, see the Oreos, decide to "treat myself," eat the entire package of Oreos, loathe myself, and swear that dieting doesn't work.... HAHAHA!), Weight Watchers (lost 10 pounds over the course of several months, HATED the meetings), aerobics (kill. me. now.) and so on.

Here's the thing - I've always started these things from a point of discouragement and feeling beaten and desperate - never out of excitement or enthusiasm, never from a point of strength.

Then I heard about SparkPeople. Married friends of ours had each (EACH!) lost 20 pounds in a MONTH using the COMPLETELY FREE SparkPeople program. Clearly this required further investigation.

I joined Sunday. I've lost 4 pounds. I've learned how to eat better (I am not going to bore y'all with endless stories about what I ate and how much and blah blah because you're here to see cute kids, not hear about my diet. BORING. But Monday I thought I'd been really good, even though I was up in Grammaland I only ate about half what I normally would at dinner, and I ordered the healthiest thing on the menu at lunch - I overdid my target calories by about 1100. And I thought I'd been good! It was really eye opening). I got up and exercised Monday and Tuesday. I bought a Swiss ball to help me exercise. I bought a yoga mat. I planned what I was going to eat when I went out for lunch on Tuesday BEFORE I left the house, and I stuck to it, and felt GREAT afterwards...

It's a very good thing.

Here's how it works -

Under myNutrition, you can get personalized menus (which you can totally customize - let's say tonight is fish and spinach, but you hate both, you can click on them and substitute chicken and broccoli instead, and it doesn't let you substitute ice cream. Hahaha... You can also add custom food, which is handy. I added my morning coffee and copied it to every day). It keeps track of calories, carbs, fat, and protein. It prints reports so you can see how you've done over time. There's a "quick track" area to keep track of how many glasses of water you're drinking, and how many servings of fruit and veg you're eating. It's a very powerful tool for keeping track of what you're putting in your mouth. I had no idea I was mindlessly eating so much (and that I was eating so much even when I thought I was being mindful!). You get points for tracking your food and reaching your goals (water, etc.). It prints your grocery list for you, so that you don't even have to think when you go to the store. I've paid for things (like Saving Dinner) to do that in the past. This is still free, and fully customizable. And it covers all three meals plus one snack a day, where Saving Dinner was just dinner.

Under myFitness, you can enter how much cardio and strength training you've done each day. It recommends various activities for you based on what equipment you said you had available. If you don't like crunches (and really, who does?) you can swap them out for some other exercise that's more comfortable. You get points for tracking your exercise. It prints reports, too.

Under Weigh In you can enter your weight and measurements (you can fully customize this, too, if you want to keep track of the size of your thighs, it allows you to put in a place, and it will graph it along with the standard chest, waist, hips, etc). I can't even tell you how reinforcing it is to start to see that line go down, down, down.

There is a vast community of people on SparkPeople, too, and they're very positive, encouraging, and AVAILABLE 24/7. I've been posting a lot (you get points) in the group "DONE being the fat girl!" (ha) and the main message boards. If you wake up at 3 am and want to eat every Oreo in town, there's someone there, online, to talk you down.

There is a library of information about nutrition, health, and fitness. If you don't know how to properly do a reverse crunch, you can watch a brief, commercial free video that will show you. If you want to learn more about abdominal adhesions, you can find out, for free (and get points). If you want to compare 1/2 of a banana to 3/4 cup apple slices, in terms of nutrition, you can (personally, I'd go for the apple). If you want to see exactly how much that 1/2 cup of fro yo is going to put you over your calories for the day, and what you're going to need to give up in order to fit it in, you can.

People, I am telling you, I have NEVER been this motivated about anything weight loss. Ever. I only wish this had existed for the year before I got married. I might not have been the wide bride.

Did I mention that I've already lost 4 pounds? Since Sunday? That's half of what I lost doing Weight Watchers for like 3 or 4 months, and SparkPeople is FREE.

In a nutshell, SparkPeople is like Facebook with a purpose, and every bit as addictive. My username is Amy0526, and I really hope that if you want to change your life, you'll join SparkPeople and "friend" me. Because I am DONE being the fat girl. I want my kids to grow up with a healthy, strong mother who teaches them how to stay healthy and fit. I want to be able to play with them until they're worn out. I want to be BJ's trophy wife :) . And I want you to come with me.

Shrinking Works for ME! Visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: Guys

Mary Grace calls all her stuffed animals "guys," a quirk that she picked up from her Daddy. Like all families with young children, we have more than our fair share of "guys." I'm pretty sure that they're multiplying at night, after we go to bed (...never let them get wet, never feed them after midnight...)

Walmart had some collapsible hampers that were cheapity cheap cheap cheap (check the link, because they're even cuter now than they were when I bought ours), and I got one and stuck it in the corner of the toyroom (between a bookshelf and a toy bin rack, so they hold it up), and tossed all her "guys" into it. Voila.

Not tripping on "guys" whenever I try to take a step works for me. Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: Lower Cabinet Organization

I have more lower cabinets than I need in my kitchen.  After we'd lived here for about 5 years I realized that I was "losing" stuff in the abyss of one cabinet, in particular, where I kept pantry items - refills on stuff that was already open elsewhere, cans of soup, boxes of unopened crackers, etc.  (Since it's a lower cabinet, I didn't want to attract critters by putting OPEN items in it...).  

I went to Walmart and found a plastic bin that would fit into the space between the floor of the lower cabinet and the shelf in the lower cabinet, so that I could use it as a drawer and no longer lose small items in the back.  Here's a picture, because that doesn't make any sense...

Ok, so maybe it doesn't LOOK organized, but it sure beats having to pull everything out to get at the Macaroni & Cheese that's in the back, and then replace everything in the cabinet.

So, that's what Works for Me! Visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: The Port-a-Potty

Jenny is really going to think I'm insane for this one...

Mary Grace has recently learned to use the "big girl potty" and has graduated from the little plastic potty to the real toilet much faster than I thought she would.  She hasn't, however, learned to tell me well in advance of when she needs to go, so when she says, "Mommy, I need to go potty," she really means, "right now!!!"

Since we spend a lot of time driving to and from Grammaland, when she figured out the real toilet, I took her little plastic potty chair and put it in the van in a box, along with toilet paper, wipes, plastic bags, and every other thing in the universe that lives in my van (some people have storage units, some have sheds...  everything we own is in my van).

When we're on the road, and she has to go right now, I don't have to worry about finding a place to stop, I can just pull off at the nearest exit, find a parking lot, and let her go in her potty chair in the back of the van.  Then I can clean it up using a combination of TP and wipes and plastic bags, depending on the situation, and away we go!  

This worked extremely well last time we went north, when her sister was asleep in the car.  I didn't want to wake her up to take her inside the gas station with us, I couldn't leave her sleeping in the car, and MG doesn't have the skills to "hold it" yet.  Everyone wins.

We only use it on long trips, but it stays out there, anyway, because I don't have room in my bathroom or garage for it.  So, having a Port-a-Potty works for me!  Check with Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW fun.  And be sure to scroll down to the next post to read about the Nie Nie Auction that's going on today (9/24/08).

WFMW: Don't Pee on That Dress!!

My 3 year old recently potty trained daughter LOVES to dress up, but she doesn't quite have the motor skills and multitasking ability to keep her dress out of the toilet while balancing herself on the seat. I stuck a couple of clothes pins in the bathroom so that I can pin the hem of her dress to the neckline, and she can do it "all by herself"!

I may use this idea when my sister gets married in October, too. I needed 2 friends to help when I had to "go" at my own wedding!

For more WFMW ideas visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer!

WFMW: Ice Cream without Drips

I wish I had a picture of this, but I am NOT waking the kids up at midnight to give them ice cream, take a picture, and put them back to bed, so you're just going to have to visualize with me...

I got some sugar cones at the grocery store for MG. Claire wanted one just like sister, because goodness knows she has to do everything that sister does, and I couldn't figure out how I was going to manage a 1-1/2 year old with an ice cream cone. I considered stripping her naked and giving it to her outside, but that seemed extreme.

We had some plastic party cups, you know, the ones that hold about 12 ounces of soda, leftover from MG's birthday party, so I stood the cone up inside the cup. The drips went into the cup, the ice cream went (mostly) into her mouth. Bonus - she can hold the cup and not crush the cone.

Next time we had ice cream cones, I did the same for MG, even though she's 3. That way I didn't have to steal her cone every 11 seconds to lick off the drips for her.

So, if you want to lick your kids' drips, don't use this tip, but if you would rather eat your *own* ice cream, try standing their cone up inside a plastic party cup, and let the good times roll!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: Older kids

My kids are little, almost 3 and 16 months, and during the day the only way I can get 10 minutes of peace is to turn on Playhouse Disney, and even then they want something ("Look Mommy!!!") every 11 seconds.

This summer I have been blessed with Justine, 15, Lucy, 12, and Jane, 8. They have been coming over (Justine's gone home to France this morning... Sniff...) regularly to play with the kids.

What have I gotten done? Oh my gosh, a ton. I cleaned out cabinets and got rid of a bunch of stuff, so that I can actually put all the debris that was on top of the fridge and the microwave into cabinets, instead. As a result, the entire kitchen looks cleaner than it did before. I've read entire books. I've kept up with the laundry. I've cleaned with chemicals - something I normally save for naptime because I don't want Claire to try to taste the Comet (it makes your face turn green...). I've been able to drink my coffee in peace and relax with my blogs while the big kids were outside entertaining the heck out of my little kids.

It has been bliss.

If you have little kids, I highly recommend that you beg, steal, or borrow a teenager (or preteen) for a couple of days a week while they're out of school. A lot of parents with older kids have trouble finding care in the summer - they're too old for daycare (and it costs a fortune) but they're too young to be left on their own 40 or 45 hours a week. Be their hero and volunteer to "help them out" by taking their kids a couple days a week. We'll just keep it our little secret that their kids are going to be doing all the work while you enjoy a calm summer. Actually, their parents probably know, because their kids were young once. Everyone wins - the big kids have fun and build babysitting skills, the little kids have playmates, the mom gets a much deserved break. And if you have two littles, like I do, you can do outings that normally would be difficult or dangerous on your own (like the pool) with the simple addition of a responsible teenager.

The only problem is I have no idea how I'm going to cope when all these big kids go back to school!!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW ideas! And click on the tag "WFMW" over there -----> for more of my WFMW tips!

WFMW: Mommy's Music

I love some of the music we play for the kids. Sandra Boynton's stuff is all brilliant and funny, and Barenaked Ladies, Cake, and They Might Be Giants have all jumped on the preschool music scene.

But sometimes Mommy needs a break from the ABCs and 123s. Sometimes Mommy is going to have to have a very stiff drink if she has to listen to one more round of "La la la la Lemon," and that is not a good idea when one is on a long car trip to Grammaland.

So, here's my secret. I put the kids' music on the CD player (because they're too small for headphones, but the day is coming soon when I can stick ear buds on those little goofballs and listen to my stuff), flip the speakers to the rear, and then stick ONE earbud of my iPod in so I can listen to podcasts. I figure that podcasts don't need to be in stereo any more than AM radio does, so I'm not missing anything by only listening to it in mono. It leaves my other ear free to referee whatever happens to be going on in the backseat, or to hear traffic noise, sirens, etc. I don't crank it, either, so even if I used both earbuds (which I don't) I'd still be able to hear what was going on around me.

I can also listen to my own music (you know, the kind with the occasional cuss word) or to audio books this way. I figure it's safer than talking on the cell phone...

Not having to listen to The Penguin's Lament for the eleventymillionth time Works for Me! Visit Rocks In My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: 5 Ingredients or Less

Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer is doing a cooking edition of Works for Me Wednesday this week, and she wants our recipes to have 5 ingredients or less.

But it's summer, and I hate cooking in the summertime, and "throw some meat on the grill" totally seemed like a cheat...

So, I thought, "What else do we grill?" and then I remembered:

Trey's Grilled Veggies

4 - 6 potatoes
1 onion
2-4 bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil or butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Make a big packet out of aluminum foil. Dice up your potatoes, onion, and peppers into bite sized pieces. The smaller the pieces, the faster it'll cook, IMHO, but I have no scientific backing for this theory. Place the veggies onto the foil, drizzle with oil or slap the butter on there, and then season to taste. Salt and pepper are great, but you can go nuts and add whatever seasoning you like (Italian?) if you're not afraid to exceed the 5 ingredient limit.

Fold up the packet with all the yumminess inside, and put it on a hot grill. It's going to need a good 20 - 30 minutes, so you probably want to start it before you start your meat (if you're grilling meat, too). This is a very forgiving recipe, so just experiment until you get it the way you like it.

Remove the packet from the grill and let it cool a bit before opening. Watch the steam!

These are best served with grilled steaks, but also good with burgers and dogs, chicken, or whatever you like to grill (maybe even tofu?)... I've experimented with other veggies - zucchini was notably mushy - so feel free to add whatever you have on hand and experiment. The original recipe is fantastic, and scales up and down easily - just don't make your packet too big, or you'll have trouble getting it off the grill. Aim for your finished packet to be about the size of a salad plate.

Head over to Rocks in my Dryer for more 5 ingredient or less recipes!!

Works for Me: Nothing

I thought I should mention that I haven't "quit" Works for me Wednesday - I just haven't been able to come up with anything brilliant that works for me, lately. Between having a house full of sick people, getting in arguments with people, and the general chaos that reigns in my house when it comes to housework, I haven't felt at all qualified to sit on high and make pronouncements about better ways to do things.

It must be going around, because Shannon couldn't think of anything today, either.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine. We're fine. The kids are better (although Claire is still hoarse, and if she isn't over it by Monday I'm going to take her to the doctor - and I just wrote, and had to correct, "take her to the vet." I am an excellent mother). The house isn't really that bad, mainly because I haven't been cooking a whole lot, lately. It's too hot, and we've been too busy. The toys have spread out of the toy room, again, and it could use a vacuum, but it's not like the city is coming by to condemn my house any time soon.

I could use a few suggestions, though. For one thing, Claire has been climbing the chairs and sitting on the dining room table. The chairs are cheap (hooray Ikea) so she can actually pull them out and climb them. Does anyone have any good ideas for how to stop her? Preferably ideas that won't interfere too much with the normal use of the chairs. I'm not excited about, say, putting them upside down on top of the table, the way we had to do with our chairs at the end of the day in school, because she could pull them down on top of herself. BJ's thinking bungee cords, but that sounds like a pain in my neck. Maybe I'll just put a stack of books on each chair's seat, so that they're harder to pull out. Lord knows we have enough books!

MG loves the movie Monsters, Inc., she calls the music at the beginning, during the credits, the "door music" because of all the doors that open and close during the opening sequence. Well, we have a Disney book called "Family Story Collection Volume 2" which has a bunch (75 actually) of stories from the Disney movies, and yesterday she was excited to find that Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. are on the cover, and there are two Monsters, Inc. stories in the book. Hey, she's 2, it was a big thrill. Well, she just brought the book over to me, and said, "Look, Mommy. This book has door music!" She was pointing to the "bibliography" page at the end, where it says in fine, centered print which story came from which movie. Then she said, "Something must be wrong, it's not moving!" Apparently the credits in the book are supposed to roll like the credits in a movie. HA!

The other thing I need a suggestion on is kind of fun... Our friend, we'll call him Jacques because he gets all irritated when I put him "all over" the internet (as if anyone reads this!), has a cousin, we'll call her Justine, because that's her name, who is coming from France on Friday to stay with Jacques for a month and improve her English. She's going to spend a lot of time with the girls and I while Jacques and his girlfriend, Fran, are at work all day. He wants to bring her over this weekend to have a meal with us and let us all get to know each other.

When I went to France as a teenager, I was so excited to try the food. Our first night, we had dinner at a prix fixe place where everyone got the same thing. Steak frites. Steak and fries. I was so disappointed to be served something I could easily get at home! I still remember it, what, 17 years later? That's a disappointing meal.

So, I want to make the "All American Meal" for Justine. I was thinking meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, but that's a pretty heavy meal for summer. It's more of a cool weather meal. Then I thought about burgers and hot dogs on the grill, with potato salad and baked beans, but that didn't seem very interesting, either. I also considered tuna noodle casserole (with crunched up chips on top) and Jello salad, but I don't want her to run screaming back to the airport.

What is the "All American Meal"?

Thanks for the help! I hope something works for me next week!

WFMW: Kids and Discipline

How many times a day do you tell your kids "no" or "don't"? Can I tell you a secret? You're totally wasting your breath.

Have you ever known someone who successfully quit smoking? Chances are excellent that they replaced the behavior they wanted to eliminate (smoking) with one that had fewer consequences. Perhaps it was chewing gum.

Well, discipline works the same way. You can't replace a something with a nothing. You can't just say, "Don't hit your sister!" (Believe me, I say this a thousand times a day.) You have to say, "That's not nice. Use your words, instead. Tell her that you don't want her to play with your toy." You have to teach your child how to get the message across that she's trying to send in a socially acceptable way.

If your kids are yelling, it's more effective to say, "Use your inside voice!" than it is to say, "Quit yelling!" or even "Be quiet!" Because the first example tells your kids what you want them to do, while the other two do not.

This is something I have to practice and remind myself to do all the time. It does not come naturally to me in the slightest. But with practice, we can all be better parents. The brilliant Dr. Dave says that being "consistent" as a parent means that you do something 80% of the time. It's impossible, he says, to be 100% consistent. So, the next 5 times you have to correct your kids, try telling them what you want them to do, instead of what you don't want them to do. Let me know if it works for you!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for me Wednesday tips!

WFMW: The New Park

I have lived in my neighborhood for 5 1/2 years, and I have lived in this town for 10 years (can you believe it?) and just recently the road that I normally take home from the office was closed, so I had to divert through a neighborhood that I always drove right past. Guess what I found? A new park! It's exactly one mile from our house, and it's awesome! It's less crowded than our usual park, and it has excellent equipment, and the two huge play structures are close together, so MG can be on the big one while C's on the little one, and I don't have any trouble keeping an eye on both of them. It has everything we loved at the other park and more!

If it ever stops raining, we're going to ride the bike there and back. We couldn't do that with the old park, because it was down a huge hill. So huge that it wouldn't be safe to ride the bike down it, and I'd have to be airlifted back up when we were done. This park, it's flat all the way there. Yay!

So, while you may not have a park in your neighborhood that you haven't found, there could be fabulous things in your town that you don't know about. Don't we get into ruts easily? Going to the same places the same way all the time, and never seeing anything new?

Get lost once in a while and see what you can find. Even if you've lived where you are for 10 years, like me, you just never know!

That's what works for me today. Visit Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer for more WFMW posts. And click here if you want to read the rest of my WFMW ideas! Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

DWFMW: What doesn't work for me

So, another theme at Rocks in my Dryer today, what DOESN'T work for me...

The only thing I could come up with is television.

I don't watch much TV at all. In fact, I could happily give up the TV entirely and spend that $80 a month on wine, but other members of my household would be very put out.

Since having kids, keeping up with any particular show has become virtually impossible. I just can't guarantee that I am going to be available at any particular time during any particular week, and I'll bet you can't either.

Luckily, my husband is a little bit of a genius, and he likes to tinker with computers. He built a computer that is, essentially, a TiVo (without fees!). The cable is routed through the computer, and with a program called "Beyond TV," we are able to record shows that we like and watch them when we want. The only limit is how much hard drive space we have available, and since there are more computers in this house than people (current people count: 5; current computer count: 6), hard drive space isn't much of an issue.

So, we record a lot of Mickey Mouse and Charlie and Lola for you know who. I record Dr. Phil and Oprah so I can watch them when I'm folding laundry (but to be honest, I delete about 80% of what I record because I am just not interested in Oprah and all her fabulous friends, or in all of Dr. Phil's crazy people). I record ER because I still love it, even though every main character on the show who is a woman turns into a total skank within 2 seasons. I record the Daily Show, and watch it occasionally. We record Saturday Night Live every time it's new, and then we fast forward to the Weekend Update, and maybe the musical guest, and then delete it.

We actually delete more than we watch, which, to me, is great. We can selectively watch what interests us, and not feel like we need to waste our time watching what happens to be on, just because it might be interesting. It has really changed the way that we watch TV, and it has changed it for the better. We don't sit in front of the boob tube and veg out anymore. We watch only what we're really, genuinely interested in. We watch TV on our terms, and we fast forward the commercials. That saves about 20 minutes per hour of TV, too.

Oh, and we can record movies that are broadcast, too. This is a feature because they clean up the language to broadcast them, so we can watch movies with the kids underfoot that might not otherwise be appropriate.

If you have a geek (or if you are a geek) and you want details on how this was all done, I can probably get BJ to write it out so I can post it. I know that you need an ATI video card and the program Beyond TV. Beyond that, it's above my head. If you aren't blessed with your very own in-home IT department, you can get a TiVo and do the same thing.

So, TV is what doesn't work for me. What doesn't work for you? Visit Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer for more DWFMW posts. And click here if you want to read the rest of my WFMW ideas! Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon! w

WFMW: Save Money on Gas

Gas prices are stupid high, but I've been rocking the discounts at Speedway to save a bunch, and I wanted to share my method with you.

First, you need to join AAA. I know, I know. But it's really reasonable, and you get a lot of benefits. We saved $15 yesterday on the flowers we sent to BJ's grandma for her birthday. I've already paid for my membership with the savings, blah blah, I sound like a commercial.

When you join, you become eligible for one of these. It's a card that you pre-pay, and then you save 4% on gas at Speedway.

Then you need to join the Speedway Rewards program.

You get a 20 points per dollar you spend both when you load your card and when you buy gas. So, you go into the store and you load your AAA card with $50. It only costs you $48. You get a thousand points. You fill up for about 15 cents less per gallon than the posted price. Then after you've accumulated 4,375 points (which is just over two fill-ups for me), you can get a coupon for 25 cents off per gallon. That brings your per-gallon price down by about 40 cents. For a 15 gallon tank, that's a savings of $6.00, and I get it every third time I fill up, or so.

If I were willing to get a Speedway credit card, I could save even more, but we have enough credit cards in our lives at this point.

So, I know it's not a ton of money, but if you fill up once a week you'll save over $100 a year.

Hey, every little bit counts, right?

Here for Works for me Wednesday? Check out some of my greatest hits...

How to create fun family memories.
How to save time and water when you're doing dishes.
How to save a fortune on your groceries without clipping coupons.
How to teach your baby to use a straw.
How to make money with Daytipper.
How to have fun with your kids in the snow.
How to save money when shopping online.
How to prevent frozen hands when sledding.
How to prevent disease with a handy new product (update, it worked - we never got sick!)
How to easily feed a crowd.
How to pack a smaller diaper bag.
How to make Mush McPuna.
How to organize your Christmas list.
How to breathe new life into your lamps with spray paint.
How to use calling cards to give the illusion that you have it all together.
How to use GCal (again) for menu planning.
How to save yourself time in the kitchen with a hot water tap.
How to tie your shoes if you have lollypop thumbs like me.
How to feel good about spending insane money at Christmas.
How to prevent dryer fires.
How to use Google Calendar to organize your family.
How to save a zillion dollars with the Magic Bullet.
How to quickly cool Mac & Cheese.
How to soothe a teething baby without whiskey - oops! I mean Tylenol.
How to do Time Outs correctly.
How to improvise a changing table.
How to get a baby and a toddler into the car.
How to keep your house decluttered with an old waitressing mantra.
How to find a great baby sling.
How to manage your grocery list online.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: Food on the Floor

When I was a kid, we didn't have a lot of money for vacations and dinners out and stuff. Of course, I never realized, then, that things were tight. Kids don't notice such things, no matter what the TV commercials try to tell you. Anyway, Mom had to get creative to keep three kids entertained.

We had this old rectangular dining room table that she had cut the legs short on, to make it coffee table height. Every once in a while, Mom would make an ethnic dinner (Mexican, Chinese, etc.) and we'd eat around the coffee table. She would decorate (my mom makes Martha Stewart look like an amateur) with stuff we had lying around the house - a big hat for a sombrero, some interesting multicolored fabric for the table cloth, candles in wine bottles for Italian night - and we would have a fancy dinner in. Sometimes she even played music from the country the food was from - I remember opera on Italian night.

It was so much fun. We used to laugh and laugh. The extra effort she put into the meal and the decorations made it feel like a party. Sitting on the floor, instead of at the table, made it feel sillier than a regular meal. Of course, there was always dessert. I particularly remember Spumoni on Italian night.

I guess this isn't really about Food on the Floor, although it's a great idea and you should totally try it with your kids. I think my real point is that kids don't need to spend tons of money to have fun. Every day meals can be a party if you shake things up a bit and make it special. Be creative, and include your kids in the things you enjoy. Mom enjoyed food and cooking, and so she found a way to make it fun for all of us.

You have to make dinner, anyway, right, so why not make it Food on the Floor?

(That coffee table was great for kids, by the way. We had plenty of room to draw and build Lego masterpieces. It took up a lot of space, but we played on it (under it, around it) all the time. I have one, too, but it is living in the garage under the old couch for now.)

Here for Works for me Wednesday? Check out some of my greatest hits...

How to save time and water when you're doing dishes.
How to save a fortune on your groceries without clipping coupons.
How to teach your baby to use a straw.
How to make money with Daytipper.
How to have fun with your kids in the snow.
How to save money when shopping online.
How to prevent frozen hands when sledding.
How to prevent disease with a handy new product (update, it worked - we never got sick!)
How to easily feed a crowd.
How to pack a smaller diaper bag.
How to make Mush McPuna.
How to organize your Christmas list.
How to breathe new life into your lamps with spray paint.
How to use calling cards to give the illusion that you have it all together.
How to use GCal (again) for menu planning.
How to save yourself time in the kitchen with a hot water tap.
How to tie your shoes if you have lollypop thumbs like me.
How to feel good about spending insane money at Christmas.
How to prevent dryer fires.
How to use Google Calendar to organize your family.
How to save a zillion dollars with the Magic Bullet.
How to quickly cool Mac & Cheese.
How to soothe a teething baby without whiskey - oops! I mean Tylenol.
How to do Time Outs correctly.
How to improvise a changing table.
How to get a baby and a toddler into the car.
How to keep your house decluttered with an old waitressing mantra.
How to find a great baby sling.
How to manage your grocery list online.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: The Soapy Washer

Everyone needs one of these:


I don't know how anyone survives without it, I truly don't. We forgot to get refills for ours, and we didn't have it for like a day, and my entire house fell apart. There were dishes everywhere, the laundry piled up, the bathrooms were filthy, the yard needed to be mowed, the kids got sick, the dog had fleas, the cat puked in the bed, the taxes were due, and the bills were all late. It was a housekeeping disaster. But as soon as we got our refills, all was right with the world.

You don't have to get the Libman one. We actually prefer the generic ones that are our grocery store's brand. It doesn't matter. But you need one. Stat. Trust me. It's in the cleaning aisle, with the laundry soap and the mops and whatnot. Thank me later.

Here for Works for me Wednesday? Check out some of my greatest hits...

How to save a fortune on your groceries without clipping coupons.
How to teach your baby to use a straw.
How to make money with Daytipper.
How to have fun with your kids in the snow.
How to save money when shopping online.
How to prevent frozen hands when sledding.
How to prevent disease with a handy new product (update, it worked - we never got sick!)
How to easily feed a crowd.
How to pack a smaller diaper bag.
How to make Mush McPuna.
How to organize your Christmas list.
How to breathe new life into your lamps with spray paint.
How to use calling cards to give the illusion that you have it all together.
How to use GCal (again) for menu planning.
How to save yourself time in the kitchen with a hot water tap.
How to tie your shoes if you have lollypop thumbs like me.
How to feel good about spending insane money at Christmas.
How to prevent dryer fires.
How to use Google Calendar to organize your family.
How to save a zillion dollars with the Magic Bullet.
How to quickly cool Mac & Cheese.
How to soothe a teething baby without whiskey - oops! I mean Tylenol.
How to do Time Outs correctly.
How to improvise a changing table.
How to get a baby and a toddler into the car.
How to keep your house decluttered with an old waitressing mantra.
How to find a great baby sling.
How to manage your grocery list online.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFMW: Aldi

Is it Wednesday again already? Holy cow!

I have a confession to make - I have been a total grocery snob. I have shopped at the expensive stores, and I have made very token efforts at coupon clipping. Let's face it, it's darn near impossible to get through the store with a toddler and a baby, period, much less a baby and a toddler and a fist full of coupons that are remarkably specific (20 cents off a can of soup, but it has to be the blue label and not the red, and it has to be 18.342 ounces, even though all of the cans are 16 ounces, WTF?).

As gas prices and grocery prices have continued to rise, though, I have finally seen the light. I took Mimi's advice, and I went to Aldi.

I got what would've cost about $200-$250 at my expensive store for $100, y'all. I almost asked the checker to re-ring it, because clearly she missed something, right? Wrong. I was standing right there, she got it all and it was really cheap. I got stuff I would never get at the Kroger, too, like yogurt covered raisins and fruit in a jar instead of a can.

Last night I made dinner entirely from stuff I got at Aldi - Jambalaya from a mix with summer sausage in it, green beans (canned), mixed fruit (jarred), crescent rolls - I am not kidding when I say that it was every bit as good as what I get at Kroger. The fruit was better than what I usually buy. Seriously. Their scalloped potatoes are fabulous, too. I've had those before.

I had to walk past lots and lots of sugary cereals and salty chips (well, ok, some of the chips came home with me) and other bad-for-us stuff to get to the good stuff, but the good stuff is there. I didn't buy any fresh meat (I got all beef hot dogs and summer sausage), because we get our beef from BJ's uncle, and we already had chicken. I got beautiful strawberries and bananas, really nice zucchini (better than what's at Kroger), and lots of other great stuff.

I still need to hit Kroger to get a soapy washer (which is a future WFMW post), coffee, creamer (because BJ's a snob and insists he can tell the difference, although if I had cleaned out an empty Coffeemate carton and poured it in, I'll bet he would've been fooled!), and a few other small things, but I think I'll save a ton if I go to Aldi first (even though it's all the way on the other side of town) and then fill in the gaps at Kroger and Marsh.

So, Aldi, it works for me! If you've been a grocery snob, too, repent! And make sure you bring a quarter to liberate a cart and your own bags.

Here for Works for me Wednesday? Check out some of my greatest hits...

How to teach your baby to use a straw.
How to make money with Daytipper.
How to have fun with your kids in the snow.
How to save money when shopping online.
How to prevent frozen hands when sledding.
How to prevent disease with a handy new product (update, it worked - we never got sick!)
How to easily feed a crowd.
How to pack a smaller diaper bag.
How to make Mush McPuna.
How to organize your Christmas list.
How to breathe new life into your lamps with spray paint.
How to use calling cards to give the illusion that you have it all together.
How to use GCal (again) for menu planning.
How to save yourself time in the kitchen with a hot water tap.
How to tie your shoes if you have lollypop thumbs like me.
How to feel good about spending insane money at Christmas.
How to prevent dryer fires.
How to use Google Calendar to organize your family.
How to save a zillion dollars with the Magic Bullet.
How to quickly cool Mac & Cheese.
How to soothe a teething baby without whiskey - oops! I mean Tylenol.
How to do Time Outs correctly.
How to improvise a changing table.
How to get a baby and a toddler into the car.
How to keep your house decluttered with an old waitressing mantra.
How to find a great baby sling.
How to manage your grocery list online.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips!

WFWM: Greatest Hit

Hi all. This is going to look familiar to many of you, but Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer asked us to re-run our best WFMW tip today, and this is mine.

Of all the posts I've done, this one has gotten the most hits. When I look at my stats, I always see at least a couple google searches for "two year old won't stay in time out" and "when to start time outs" and so on. So, here it is again. How to correctly use Time Out:

There is a lot of confusion in the world about Time Out. What it is, how to do it, and how to make it work. I am here to help demystify the time out.

Here are my qualifications - I've got an almost-two year old, I worked for two years in a residential facility for kids with Mental Retardation and Behavioral Disorders (the toughest behavior cases out there) and lived to tell about it, and I went to school to be a Special Ed teacher (and took Applied Behavioral Analysis and other courses to learn how to deal with kids).

The most common misconception I read/see/hear is that a time out is for punishment. It is not. The time out serves two purposes. 1) It removes the misbehaving child from whatever stimulus or situation is causing the misbehavior (so, if little Sally is hitting little Johnny, it removes Sally from Johnny's presence, which interrupts the hitting behavior). 2) It reestablishes parental authority (in other words, it reminds the child who is in charge).

I think a lot of people think that the time out is a punishment because it has been touted as an alternative to spanking (which is a punishment). However, if you use Time Out incorrectly, as a punishment, you're defeating the actual purpose of the time out and making your job, as parent, much harder.

The recommended guideline for the duration of a time out is one minute for every year of age. So, a two year old gets a two minute time out. (I recently saw a time out bear, which I refuse to link to because it's a bad idea, but it had a timer that went up to 60 minutes, and I kept wondering if there were parents out there giving their kids' grandparents time outs, too... Then I thought it might not be a bad idea. You hear that Dad? I'm coming for you with the time out bear if you don't behave yourself... Nevermind that you're 56 years old. The timer will work for you for 4 more years!!)

Anyway, we started with time outs for MG when she was one. This also happened to be when she started needing them. We reserve time outs for egregious behavior - in the beginning it was only for things that could hurt her or someone else (i.e., tormenting the dog, jumping on the couch, biting, etc.). Now we've started to use it for property destruction infractions, too, but I'll get to that.

This is how it should work:

Child is misbehaving. Parent says, "Child, if you do not stop doing X, you're going to get a time out." Child continues to misbehave. Parent says, "I'm sorry you're choosing to do X, you need to come take a time out."

You then remove the child to the time out area. We started with the crib, but now we do them at the bottom of the stairs (on the lowest step or on the rug in front of the stairs - and you all just thought I was weird for having a bath mat at the bottom of the stairs!!). I don't believe in having a single place (like a "Naughty Chair") to take time outs. First, because if you say, "You will sit THERE" you get into a power struggle. If you say, "You can take your time out here or there," you're still allowing the child choices, and you're less likely to get into a senseless power struggle. Second, because if the child is used to a single chair, what do you do when you go out? Take it with you? Stairs and rugs are common enough, though, that you can find them virtually anywhere, and having multiple locations makes it easier for the child to generalize when you're at Grandma's, say, and you have to do time out on a chair instead of a step.

Assuming that the child goes willingly (I'll get to unwilling children in a second), you start a timer and say, "Good job. You've got two more minutes." If the child wants to scream and cry and freak out, that's ok. In addition to removing them from the situation that causes the misbehavior, allowing them to scream and holler allows them to release some of the frustration/tension that the situation has caused. This is healthy. The place where I worked required the children to be "calm and compliant" before the time out countdown started, but I think that's crazy. I don't care if MG cries the whole two minutes, as long as she is on the step or the rug.

Anyway, you sit there for the two minutes with them, giving comfort with your presence but not talking to them (except to maybe remind them to stay in the time out area, or say, "It's ok," or "You're doing fine," or "Calm down," occasionally). This is not the time to have a discussion about what happened. Just give them that two minutes to get control of themselves. Be encouraging and supportive, but not too much. A word or two here or there is all you need. A lot of parents talk too much, in general. That's another post...

When the timer beeps, get down on the child's level and give her a hug. She needs reassurance that you still love her, no matter what she did. Then you explain, in terms that she can understand, why she got the time out. "Child, you did X, so I had to give you a time out. Next time when you feel Y, instead of doing X, you could try doing Z instead." (Next time you feel frustrated, instead of hitting your sister, you could try walking away, instead.) You are Teaching here, not punishing. You want them to understand what you expect. So tell them, and use small, understandable words. "You got a time out because you ran out into the street without looking both ways. Next time you want to cross the street, you need to wait for me to hold your hand, and look both ways." You don't need to use scare tactics "A big truck could squash you!!!" You don't want to create fear. You simply want to instruct the child on what's expected. If the child is old enough, have them repeat back the situation and the behavior to you. Say, "Now, next time you get frustrated, what are you going to do?" and encourage the child to say, "Walk away." This may take time to get right, and is over the head of little kids, but you can ask the question and then answer it for him. Eventually he'll understand what you want to hear. Repeating it to you will help him internalize the correct behavior.

You always want to end a time out positively. "I love you," or "Good job," and then, the most important step, "Let's go do something else!" Redirect the child to an appropriate activity, NOT the activity that caused the problem to begin with. If the kid threw a block at his sister's head, you don't want to send him back to play with the blocks. Give him something soft! :)

Just as it takes a dozen exposures to a new food before a child will like it, it often takes a dozen time outs for the same offense before a child "gets it." This is why parents everywhere have said, "I've told you a thousand times...." (and then groaned because they sound just like their own parents!)

It will also take more than a dozen tries before your child understands what a time out is. That's ok. You're teaching. Rome wasn't built in a day.

What do you do if the child won't take his time out? You suspend all attention, fun, and most interaction until he does. If he talks to you, you say, "I will talk to you after you take your time out." If he says, "I want some water," you say, "You can have a drink of water after you take your time out." If he says, "I need a clean diaper," you say, "You can have a new diaper after you take your time out." I'm not kidding. The universe stops until the time out is over. If the child goes off and plays by himself, fine. The greatest currency you have with your kids is your attention. So you withhold it until he's taken his time out. We're only talking about two minutes, here. It isn't child abuse to sit in a wet diaper for two minutes. It isn't child abuse to withhold dinner for two minutes. If the child CHOOSES to make it two hours instead of two minutes, well, fine. That's his choice. Children aren't harmed by one missed (or delayed) meal or drink. Oh, and try to keep it positive. You CAN have X after you take your time out, instead of, you can't have X until you've taken your time out. I'm not sure why, but it makes a difference.

Try to be as neutral as possible. You're going to be frustrated. You'll want to say, "It's just two freaking minutes, will you take your time out already so we can GO???" Don't show it. If you say that, he'll know that you want to go, and that by not taking his time out, he can needle you. He can "win." Don't show your hand. Don't let him know what your currency is. Be as calm and neutral as possible (always, not just with time outs). I know this is impossible. Just last night, MG was driving me crazy, and I lost my cool. Luckily her Dad was home, so he could be the good cop while I chilled out. (It's a natural reaction when your toddler sticks her hand onto the cutting board where you're cutting carrots to freak out a little. She's really lucky I didn't cut off her fingers... Argh.)

I didn't think that Time Outs were working with MG, because she screamed like a crazy person every time I gave her one at home. Then we were at Grandpa Ben's farm, and she colored on the TV with a crayon (property destruction). I gave her a time out and braced myself for one of those scenes that you don't want your kids to have in front of your in-laws, no matter how cool and understanding they are... But damned if she didn't march right over and sit down on the step and take her time out like a little angel. I was absolutely stunned. It was one of my proudest parenting moments.

I would be happy to elaborate or answer any questions you may have about time outs, or discipline in general. I hope that this has helped you understand how to use the time out correctly and effectively!

Works for me!