Organized Chaos

  • Spontaneous Tornadoes

    Spontaneous Tornadoes

    It is amazing how quickly a mess can be made at home.  There are days when I work hard to clean up the house only to have it explode into a mess of toys, crafts, and random stuff within minutes.  Our children truly are a blessing in our lives and we love them dearly, however, they are known to make a mess.

    How do we teach our children to be considerate of others by picking up their toys, papers, clothes, crafts, and whatever else they have gotten out?  We want our kids to have fun, play hard, and be creative, but does it need to end in a big mess?

    • Simplify Life – over the last few months it has occurred to me that we just have too much stuff.  I am thankful for the many blessings we have been given but the more we have the greater responsibility.  This is an area I am continuing to work on in our home.
    • Organization – by creating an organized system the kids will have a better idea of what is it be expected and where to put away their items.  For example, having a shoe basket inside the front door for them to put their shoes into when they walk in the door is a visual reminder for them to take off their shoes.  When they have a place or specific bins for the variety of toys it helps them know where to go both to play with an item and to put it away.  The expectation is clear and organization helps tremendously, although the Spontaneous Tornadoes will continue to happen from time to time putting these into place will cut down on the frequency of the tornadoes.
    • Communication – talking with the kids about why we need to pick up our toys, clothes and home.  Most of the time they will gladly pitch in and help pick up if you just ask nicely.  Setting a timer or making it into a game (see how much we can pick up in 10 minutes) will help get them motivated to do it too.
    • Actions Speak Louder – be an example to your kids…..this one can be a hard one.  Somehow my stuff gets spread out too!  If you have all your items all over the place then why should they be expected to pick up their toys, clothes, and miscellaneous items.  I realize that it’s impossible to keep everything perfect especially during a busy week and in a well loved home, but by setting aside a few minutes everyday and trying your best to maintain the home (and the items you are responsible for) shows the children what is expected of them.
    • Set Some Ground Rules – they want to do a craft?  Okay, that it fine with me, however, prior to moving onto the next craft or another avenue of play they must first pick up their current mess.  This helps them tidy up along the way so at the end of the day there are only a few items to put away instead of an massive explosion of toys, crafts, and other goodies (plus the glue gets put away instead spending hours drying out).  I try to always let them do crafts and creative play whenever possible, although I do occasionally need to remind them to go back and pick up something if they switch to another activity without cleaning up the previous one.   Thankfully, the kids are getting better at doing this and are needing less reminders, plus they know where items go so they can put everything away on their own without the help of the whole family (although we pitch in many times because that’s what families do for each other)!

    I know Spontaneous Tornadoes will continue to invade our home via our children (and their parents) but with a little preparation and daily maintenance we should be able to keep them to a minimum.  There are days when we all take 15 minutes and pick up the house together.  When we are work together as a team it can go by quickly and shows the importance of everyone participating in the activity to get the work done.

    Do you have Spontaneous Tornadoes in your home?  How do you help prevent from having too many?

  • Recipes: Easy Shepherd’s Pie

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    The other day when I made Shepherd’s Pie for dinner I went ahead and made a big batch so I was able to make one casserole for dinner that night and put two in the freezer for busy nights later in the month.   The “Make 1 i& Freeze 1” recipes come in handy for those days when I cannot make a homemade meal from scratch.  It is great when I can plan ahead!  Shepherd’s Pie is not only easy to make it freezes well too.  The recipe below makes one 9×13 dish of Shepherd’s Pie, but I doubled it and split the second one into two 8×8 dishes to freeze for later.

    Shepherd’s Pie Recipe:

    • 1 pound Ground Beef cooked
    • 1 can Green Beans (used french cut, but any will do)
    • 1 can Mixed Vegetables
    • 1 can Black Beans
    • 1 package Brown Gravy
    • Mashed Potatoes (homemade or from package, your preference)

    Cook the ground beef and drain the excess oil.  Add all the brown gravy ingredients to the ground beef mixture.  Drain the vegetables and gently mix in the green beans, mixed vegetables, and black beans.  Let the beef and vegetable mixture cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring periodically.  Preheat the oven to 350 degree and grease a 9×13 pan (or two 8×8 pans).

    While cooking the ground beef and vegetable mixture start preparing your potatoes whether from scratch or from a box or bag. Once the potatoes and beef mixture is done you can put together your Shepherd’s Pie.  The bottom layer will be your beef and vegetable mixture followed by a layer of mash potatoes.  You can sprinkle bacon or cheese over the mash potato layer if you prefer as well.  Cover and bake the Shepherd’s Pie at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

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    We ate one Shepherd’s Pie for dinner and these two (pictured above) are going in the freezer to be eaten at a later time!

  • What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan

    https://blessingsmultiplied.com//wp-content/uploads/2011/09/4088699532_ae44f04b7dc.jpg

    The kids are officially on their Christmas Holiday break – WooHoo!  Love getting to spend extra time with them!  We have a lot of fun activities planned and of course celebrating family Christmas this week.  It is hard to believe that 2014 is already wrapping up, but thankful for the many blessings this year.  I have the menu planned for this week, however, I am going to be somewhat flexible depending how I am feeling and if there are any last minute activities that change the schedule.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

    Our Weekly Menu Plan

    • Monday (Beef or Pork Entree): Crockpot Roast, Mash Potatoes
    • Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook):  Hot Dogs, Fresh Salad
    • Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree):  Chicken Fajitas, Fresh Vegetables
    • Thursday (Pasta or Seafood Entree):  Spiraled Honey Ham, Green Bean Casserole
    • Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

    I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

    Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

    As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

    Photo by Liz

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    I was able to accomplish a good bit of items the first half of the week!  On Wednesday I got my second epidural steriod shot for my herniated disc so I was not able to do as much after that day.  Thankfully, this time around I bounced back much quicker and did better.  By the end of the week I was up and going again with some extra soreness and stiffness, but otherwise doing better.  Hoping that this week with be even better.  I am looking forward to spending extra time with the kids now that they are out of school for the Christmas Holidays.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book The Cat Who Came For Christmas by Cleveland Amory to the kids – decided to switch to a different Christmas book
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Holiday Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids – we weren’t not able to do this one due to the extra time of healing
    8. Take the Kids to the Library to pick out books to read over the Holidays
    9. Send out Christmas Cards – this is the first year in a LONG time I did not send out Christmas Cards, at first I felt really guilty about it (and still do some days), but Jake told me that with everything that has been going on these past couple of months I need to just let some things go because I cannot do it all, unfortunately this was one item I did not get done (my apologies to family and friends), hopefully next year we will be able to get back in the Christmas card groove again.
    10. Complete Our Christmas Shopping – still working on it, hoping to be done before Christmas if not I guess we’ll just spread it out a little bit more
    11. Finish Wrapping Gifts – working on it, Jake has pitched in and helped too (thanks Handsome)
    12. Ship Out Grandparents Gifts 
    13. Deliver Neighbor Giftsthe girls helped make the gifts and delivered them all to each of the neighbors, thankful for all their help this year!  Even though we live on a small street we still have 7 neighbors (all who are related except us) plus our mailman!

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)almost done with my 2014 bible reading plans!
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – still haven’t been able to complete everything in one day, but I am getting closer!
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus –  At least 15 minute daily “pick up” to keep the house clean as we prepped for the Holidays)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Get Gifts Wrapped, Mailed, or Ready to put under Christmas Tree) – getting closer
    5. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves) – my handsome man worked on this for us!  Isn’t he AWESOME!  There are still some on the side yard, but at least the front and back are done now!
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath) – she has managed to escape a bath with the cooler weather!

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – need to focus more on this specific task
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget – went only 1 day, but went to 2 stores and went over the budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read a variety of Christmas and Library Books my Kids Picked Out from Home and the local Library
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Holiday Events
    4. Play a Game with the Kids
    5. Spend Extra Time with the Kids
    6. Complete Our Christmas Shopping
    7. Finish Wrapping Gifts
    8. Celebrate our Family Christmas
    9. Make Cookies and Goodies with the Kids
    10. Do a craft with the kids

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus –  At least 15 minute daily “pick up” to keep the house clean as we prepped for the Holidays)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Get Gifts Wrapped, Mailed, or Ready to put under Christmas Tree)
    5. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Finish Leaves)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper Dog Food Bought & Bin Refilled / Snowball’s Collar Battery Changed)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.

  • Free Ebooks: 40+ Cupcake Recipes, Green Cleaning, Barrier Reef Animals, Top 50 Salad Dressing Recipes, Homemade Mixes, Solar System, Homemade Body Scrubs, Granola Recipes, Raising Backyard Chickens, and more!

    The price to download these books is currently $0.00 (although the price may change at any time, please confirm prior to downloading).  The ebooks are specifically for Kindles, however, you can click here and download the free application that allows you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC.

    Download a free copy of 40 Cupcake Recipes by Cheryl King

    Download a free copy of Green Cleaning – Nontoxic Homemade Cleaning Recipes by Family Traditions Publishing

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  • FREE TRIAL & Review of StyleWriter 4

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    Try StyleWriter 4 out for 14 days and see what it can do for you!  Whether you write for school, work, or personal reasons StyleWriter 4 could be a huge help!

    I have been using the StyleWriter4 now for a few weeks on and off.  It has been a great tool and has pointed out many writing errors I make which has been really great.  While StyleWriter4 has been good on some points it has also been a little more intense than I expected.  The program is not extremely user friendly and I found that it was a little more difficult to start using than I anticipated.  It was often more challenging than it was worth at times trying to figure out how to change the wording or phrases it didn’t like you using.  It is more time consuming especially for the shorter posts and it is a big program so it bogs down my computer a little more than I expected when it is running.

    I think it would be an amazing program for a business that does longer more technical articles, has more powerful computers, and has more people who can use it.  A college student who has to write a lot of long papers may really enjoy using this software as well.  It has revealed a lot of helpful tips and good writing feedback for me personally.  Also, there are some things that I didn’t realize I was doing so in that case it was very beneficial for me.  Even though it is more time consuming and slows down my computer a little bit I still think it was beneficial to use.  Will I continue using it?  Probably for a little bit longer, but I am not sold on using it long term (at least not yet).

    Would I recommend it?  It would depend on your needs.  I highly recommend you at least try it out with the Free Trial and see what you think.  You may love it and it might be the perfect fit for you or maybe you won’t like it, but at least you haven’t lost any money just a little time experimenting with a software that can improve your writing skills.  My recommendation to you – give it a try and let me know what you think!

    A special thanks to US Family Guide and StyleWriter4 for sponsoring this post!  Any specific product information was provided by US Family Guide and StyleWriter4, however, the opinions expressed in this post are our own.  We received a complimentary subscription  for sharing information and our family’s experience.

  • Organized Chaos: Homework & Craft Supply Station

    Our Homework & Craft Supply Station

    We set up this cabinet in the dining room where we do the girls homework, crafts, and special projects.  It contains all the items we need right in one stop for their projects.  On the top is the pencils, pens, markers, scissors, staplers, tape, sticky notes, erasers, white out, glue sticks, binder clips, pencil sharpener, and paperclips.  Also, on top is the CD player for those days we just want to enjoy music while hanging out together in the dining room doing fun projects.  The middle section contains some more supplies.  The bottom section has larger supplies (construction paper, educational games, and more)!

    A bunch of supplies in one spot and easy to get when needed!

    Homework Supply Holder

    The girls have enjoyed having most of their items in one spot!

    Homework and craft supplies are accessible.  Labeling the containers makes it much easier for everyone to know exactly which one to grab & it keeps the items in their proper place.

  • What’s for Dinner: Our Weekly Menu Plan

    https://blessingsmultiplied.com//wp-content/uploads/2011/09/4088699532_ae44f04b7dc.jpg

    There have been a lot of extra activities going on the past couple weeks as we prepare for the upcoming Christmas Holiday.  Last week a couple of the nights had to be re-arranged due to after school activities, work travel, robotics competition, and other items that came up.  This week is the kids last full week before Holiday break and they have a lot of items that they are wrapping up with school as well as after school activities.  The evenings will be full this week so we are going to try and make the week go smoothly by planning our meals in advance.  Here is our menu plan for the upcoming week:

    Our Weekly Menu Plan

    • Monday (Beef or Pork Entree): Top Sirloin Fajitas, Fresh Salad
    • Tuesday (Kid’s Night to Cook):  French Bread Pizza, Fruit Salad
    • Wednesday (Chicken or Vegetarian Entree):  Chicken Enchiladas, Fresh Vegetables
    • Thursday (Pasta or Seafood Entree):  Seasoned Salmon, Steamed Vegetables
    • Friday, Saturday, & Sunday:  Leftovers, Family Preference, and Hosting

    I have a general pattern I try to follow for my weekly Menu Plan (for example Monday we have a beef or seafood entree and so forth).  It is my goal, at least in the beginning, to have at least the main dish and one side planned.  I will put together the remaining side dishes (veggies / fruits) based on the food items that need to be used up first and compliment the main entree.

    Setting a weekly menu plan helps me utilize my time better, thus freeing up extra time to spend with my family.  On the days that I am working longer hours I can prep the meal in advance so it will be easier to pull together once I am home.  As I go through the menu planning process I will try to share some of our favorite family recipes.  If there is a specific recipe you would like please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate (some recipes are a toss together meal and I do not use any set measurements).

    As a family of four our life can get busy.  What’s for Dinner is our weekly menu planning series and one of the ways to help keep us organized, on schedule, and within budget.  Our family typically eats 6 to 7  dinner meals at home a week.  We do try to go out to eat at least once a month as a special treat.  Breakfasts are eaten at home before work and school, lunches are eaten at work, school, or home, so dinner is our main meal together as a family.  Dinner is our time to reconnect, share, and enjoy being together after a busy day.  Our weekly menu plan covers Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday only because the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) is our time to spend with family and friends.  The weekends tend to be more spontaneous and my husband (who is the better cook) likes pitching in therefore we keep the menu open for variety.  We use up the leftovers throughout the week for our lunches and on the nights that we are busy or can’t cook.

    Photo by Liz

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    It was a whirlwind of a week, but I managed to get some projects completed during the week.  The kids had a lot of homework, school activities, work travel, robotic competition, and so much more all squeezed into last week! This is the kids final week of school for 2014 so I have several projects that need to be completed this week.  I want to make sure once they are out of school that I have more time to relax and spend with them enjoying the Holidays.

    Last week’s goals

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the familytook the kids to see the Easley Baptist Hospital display of Christmas Trees, Lights, and Gingerbread Houses
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items – this is going to have to be put on hold until after the Holidays since other items are taking priority at this time
    9. Dr. Appointments for Kids
    10. Finish Decorating for Christmas
    11. Send out Christmas Cards – hoping to get it done this week
    12. Complete Our Christmas Shopping – I bought my first gift (does that count!)  I actually started this week now that I am feeling better and moving more! 
    13. Start Wrapping Gifts

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day – had a couple busy days that I didn’t do well with, but need to keep it up because I don’t want to be sick for the Holidays!
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)hard to believe I am almost done with my year of Bible Reading!
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – it took only 2 days this week, getting closer still cannot carry the laundry baskets so have to wait for assistance
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later) – with the extra evening activities this did not get done
    4. Clean House (Focus – House Decorated & Christmas Bins Back Up in the Attic)
    5. Organize Chaos (Focus – Clean Out the Pantry) – got pulled into other activities
    6. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Blow Leaves Off Deck)my amazing husband did this for me!  Thanks Handsome!!!
    7. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath) – with it being cold and wet she managed to escape the bath this week

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails – couple of business contacts I need to work through some exciting opportunities with this week
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car – working on it
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    My goals for the upcoming week

    Family Goals

    1. Read the book The Cat Who Came For Christmas by Cleveland Amory to the kids
    2. Plan one special activity with the family
    3. Prepare for Upcoming Holiday Events
    4. Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
    5. Attend After School Activities
    6. Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
    7. Play a Game with the Kids
    8. Take the Kids to the Library to pick out books to read over the Holidays
    9. Send out Christmas Cards
    10. Complete Our Christmas Shopping
    11. Finish Wrapping Gifts
    12. Ship Out Grandparents Gifts
    13. Deliver Neighbor Gifts

    Personal Goals

    1. Drink 8 glasses of water each day
    2. Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
    3. Go to my  Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week

    Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
    3. Clean House (Focus –  At least 15 minute daily “pick up” to keep the house clean as we prepped for the Holidays)
    4. Organize Chaos (Focus – Get Gifts Wrapped, Mailed, or Ready to put under Christmas Tree)
    5. Yard Cleanup (Focus – Leaves)
    6. Pet Care (Focus – Skipper a Bath)

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
    3. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    4. Work completed for clients

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Payoff the Car
    2. Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
    3. Pay Bills & File Paperwork
    4. Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.

  • Organized Chaos: Easy DIY Headband Holder

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    The headbands are now hung up in the girls closets so they can access them easily!

    We have a lot of headbands in our house.  There are two girls in our home who wear headbands, however, it was getting to frustrating trying to figure out the best way to store all the headbands.  Just putting them into a storage box wasn’t working because it was a mess, headbands were getting broken, it is was impossible on a busy school morning to find a particular headband before rushing off to school.

    I decided it was time to come up with a solution that would help keep the headbands organized.  The idea started while I was putting away a swimming noodle….  Which happened to be a good size to hang a headband on so I decided to give it a try.

    The pile of headbands that need to be organized

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    All you need is a thick noodle, hanger, headbands, and knife!

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    Cut the noodle to fit inside your hanger.

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    Slice one side of the noodle so you can slide it onto the hanger.  The thicker the noodle the better.

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    Hang your headbands on the noodle and your done!

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    The headbands are ready to go into my daughters closet!

    P1040350c

    We have used this headband holder / organizer for several months now and it works awesome!  Each girl has their own headband hanger on the back of their closet door so they can reach in and grab whatever headband they want to wear that day.