Crayon on Walls - Updated 08/2010

It has been a while since I have blogged, but after today, I had to share a few lessons learned.

Never allow a 3 year to leave the table with a crayon. Pat him down first!
- You may say duh, right but as a multitasking mother on the phone, I underestimated the agility of a little boy "I habba go poddy Mama"

How to clean crayon off the walls. WET WIPES!!! Who knew!?
Here is how the humbling lesson was learned....
I had given my 3 year old a washcloth with soap and had him start wiping the walls. I told him to continue until it was all done. (I was very serious too even if it took all day)

UPDATE August 2010: Have your kids use the wet wipes as a creative yet memorable punishment. When they are asleep from all that hard work (and rightly so) you can use the Mr. Clean Eraser - NOT FOR KIDS. As mentioned in the comments (Thank you for your feedback Gen and Claire!)- it works wonders! It also works for more than crayon. I have used it for the paint marks toys make when run across the walls, the garage door-entering into the home from garage, and those little black marks on the corner baseboards that no one knows where they really come from!

My 1 year old daughter wanted in on the action, so instead of getting three washcloths dirty (you know I had to have one of my own by now-five minutes into the cleaning) I decided to give her a wet wipe.

In just a few minutes I found she was the most productive! How neat. The wet wipes were a wonder for crayon even on carpet!!!!! I hope if you ever come across this dilemma, you will remember this lesson and feel free to act as though you thought of it first. Hey if a 1 year old can come up with it, you can too!

Weekly Menu Plan

A calendar on my refrigerator with meals assigned for each day of the week. (Updated one week at a time) Wow. How did I let that one get by me? After seeing this technique in place, I was intrigued!

After three months of making a weekly menu plan in advance the following benefits have been found:

• Saving money by not overspending at the grocery store.
• Food wasting is decreased.
• Not stressing out on figuring out what to make for dinner each night.
• You should have all dinner ingredients on hand if the week was planned properly.
• Your spouse will be enticed by the dinner treat he can expect when he arrives home and by the new less stressed you!

How to get started...

1. List all of the meals you currently make for dinner.
2. Get the grocery circulars that come in the mail and see what items are on sale.
3. Compare what is on sale to your meal ideas list and try to make the best buys.
4. Try your best to by coordinating items. (lettuce and tomatoes for tacos one night and a salad the next)
5. Each week you can add one new menu item to your list and in no time your variety will be huge and you will find ways to use all of the shredded cheddar cheese or cilantro you bought for that one recipe you just had to try.

Here are a few sites that inspire with great shopping techniques and new meal ideas.

http://niftythriftythriving.blogspot.com/
http://themealplanner.blogspot.com/

http://cookingclaire.blogspot.com/
http://notesfromthetable.blogspot.com/

Happy Meal Planning!

Bringing Order Into Your Car

Although a simple idea, here is a post on something you may have thought of but simply not gotten around to.

In your most used vehicle, stock one small freezer bag under each child's seat filled with the following...

• underwear/diapers
• socks
• pants or shorts
• long or short sleeve shirt
• wipes (even if your child is out of diapers)
• empty freezer bag for soiled clothing

Based on my experience this past week -- my son atop hills of dirt/mud on two separate occasions prior to getting in the car -- I encourage all moms to stock with these essentials. During both of these random experiences I was able to let him experience the dirt only as a child can, stress free for me!

One might think that a diaper bag covers these dilemmas. This technique has made for lighter diaper bags. It has also assisted when I was "sure" there was an extra (fill in the blank) inside the diaper bag.

What to do with Plastic Grocery Bags?

Until you remember to take those used grocery bags to a store for recycling, here are some suggestions for how to store them, and maybe even reuse them.

Adorable handmade dolls can be found at Linda's Creations for $20.00. Definately one of my future purchases. I have seen these and can attest to them holding quite a few bags.

Super Human Grocery Bag Holder found at Target for $12.99.
We currently use this holder and I have found that it fills up too fast. When I remember to bring in the cotton grocery bags placed in our car that are to be used at the store, this one may work just fine. Order for me, comes with practice.

For the creative/green in you, below is a list of 10 smart uses for Old Plastic Bags. The detail and original list can be found on the Real Simple website.

1. As knee pads
2. As hand protectors for doggy doo
3. Paint preservers-in the middle of a paint job
4. Make shift rain hats
5. Easy kitchen cleanups (suggesting to peeling fruits and veggies on top)
6. As wrapping paper
7. Wet umbrella holders
8. Shoe Protectors/carpet protectors (muddy shoes)
9. As Cookbook protectors
10. As planter fillers (saving on needed potting soil)

Displaced Directions

Ever go to clean out a junk drawer and find pieces of paper with directions you may just need to use again? What do you do with them? A paper clip? An envelope?

For this dilemma, we have a small notebook kept in the glove compartment of the vehicle we use the most. The first few pages display a list or table of contents of sorts. (This way I don't have to thumb through the entire book, or try to remember if someone has been added. I can simply look down the list) Each time I add a new page into the book, I add the name of the location "Sunny Sommers Home" to the list at the beginning of the book. This has come in handy on more than one occasion.

The outline for the rest of the pages are as follows...

Sunny Sommers
555-4102
8008 Sunshine Ln
Sunland, AZ 01134

From Home (Phoenix)
L on 25th Street
R on Coombiya Ln
R on Cardinal Terrace
L on Morning Ln

This same concept works well using the Notes feature of a BlackBerry or Smartphone. Another route is using the text note features on most mobile device address books - add directions to each person's home or business in this section and you have no hard copy to mess with, or lose, plus it's easy to save backups.

Cookies To Order

You just got off the phone with some surprise guests; perhaps your husband just let you know that he had a rough day - he is looking for some extra TLC; an event that you forgot about until last minute comes up that you were supposed to bring a treat for.... Ah boy...

After this tip, you can simply preheat the oven and retrieve the best chocolate chip cookies you have ever tasted giving your home a sensational appeal for your guests, warming the heart and tummy of your husband, and hiding forgetfulness from the people who surely think you have it all together...assuming anyone does.

The cookie recipe below can be made and separated into 3 rolls. Put two in the freezer and cook the first roll for proof. The next two rolls are bonus used usually for the aforementioned reasons.

Be forewarned... these are good enough to hide from my husband in places like the frozen chicken nugget bag, or frozen vegetables.

350 8-10 minutes
Mix: 2 sticks butter (unsalted)
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
Add: 2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
Stir in: 4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda (be sure it is not expired)
1 tsp salt
2 cups of chocolate chips

Order up!

Organizing Your Greeting Cards

Unused Christmas cards from years past, birthday cards purchased but unsent (If only I used the "You Remembered!? " tip years ago!), extra note cards, cards and or envelopes just lying around, and much more hidden within junk grouping areas, presented me a new "orderly home" project.

A central location for all of these cards, complete with dividers for easy access and filing. I use a 6.4x10.9x16.3in Rubbermaid container that easily holds all card sizes and has a little space for an extra holder for maybe stickers or stamps.

With my Brother PT-80 label maker,(LOVE this gadget) each divider (made from trimming manila envelopes) is given a category as follows.

• Birthdays
• Christmas
• Get Well
• Friendship
• New Baby
• Thank You
• Note Cards
• Cards w/out Envelopes
• Extra Envelopes

With the start of the new year, I am glad to have my "Card and Party Central" in place before I am enveloped :P with the next group of birthdays that seem to all arrive at once.