The "Dreaded Question"

Today, I will finally get to putting up the first of a series of posts that I have been intending for, well, years now.  When I am on top of my week and things go as planned (a rare thing these last several months) I create a Weekly Meal Menu.  This is one of the most useful things I have found to do, it saves time, frustration and money.  I can do all of the weeks shopping in one trip and I never have to deal with the age old question of "what to make for dinner."  There are so many benefits from this simple act, I really want to jump for joy when I keep up with getting it accomplished! 

There are so many benefits it is really astounding! I can plan meals so that they use up the excess ingredients I purchase for a particular meal, which leads to great per serving savings.  My menu can take into account the days when I need a quick meal because we have evening plans or days when it would be beneficial to put together a slow cooker meal, such as days when we are out of doors for the majority of the day and it is a joy to come in to the delicious scent of a meal that has practically prepared itself!  You can even benefit nutritionally from planning your meals ahead of time!  If you only buy the necessary ingredients for that weeks menu, you will have less excess in the house and you can go as far as planning on fitting certain nutritional needs into your menu.  I have found this especially helpful with a toddler that gets their nutritional needs met more on a weekly scale rather than a daily one.  And I have found that it is impossible to mindlessly snack when you literally have no random junk food in the house.  Your shopping is more focused, and so your eating is more focused.  You also tend to stick to the plan better, which means you are spending fewer meals simply grabbing something easy.   So you save on money and nutrition!  The benefits are really quite boggling.

You can make your weekly menu as detailed or as simple as you prefer.  I like to try and plan each meal and snack as best I can, because in my busy world it is helpful to have a plan that lays it out for me, especially on the days when I can't think straight and need a piece of paper to tell me what to do next.  I also tend to find myself in less of a bind when I have preplanned snacks on hand and either the schedule changes or my daughter has an off food day.  I know that whatever she decides to eat that day is going to be healthy and that the plan can easily be switched up or adapted to fit our needs in a mere moment.  I can make a meal earlier or later in the week easily, I have all the ingredients already on hand or I can skip a meal entirely and simply move it to the coming weeks lineup in the event we get a last minute meal invite that we just can't pass up or we have to be elsewhere in an emergency.  I feel more flexible because I have a plan, rather than the chaos and frenzy of the weeks when I don't have a plan.

The coming posts will get down to the nuts and bolts of the meal plan, in that I will be sharing my own tired and true recipes that will help in meal planning.  I will also add tips and ideas as they seem fitting.  My hope is that less and less you will find yourself facing the dreaded question of "what to have for dinner tonight."  Happy eating.

Time to Wake!

How often we find ourselves at the end of our day and wonder how we could possibly not remember what we had for breakfast and where the twenty dollar bill we had earlier got to, how often. Frightening really, the times we come to our destination and find ourselves musing about the drive, as we don’t remember a single turn of it. Is it possible that we are missing characters in our own lives? Quite possible, it seems to me. More importantly, how can we replace these vague moments and forgotten turns, with something more lucid and engaging, even ultimately more satisfying? Possibly the best term I can fill the void with is “Conscious Living.”

Conscious Living is a way I remind myself to be a player on the stage of my own life, to live in the moment and savor more of life at every opportunity. Simply choosing to be more aware and conscious of the life we are moving through can have benefits beyond even the awakening experience. As we move into a New Year, symbolically filled with potential and new opportunities, I would challenge any and all to live consciously. Wake in the morning and resolve to pay more attention, act with more purpose, and be accountable in your own existence.

There are so many examples of how Conscious Living can change our little worlds it is hard to know where to start! So many ways we will benefit from the extra thought put into an action or decision, so many ways we could potentially save time, money, even heartache. The most simple and mundane example could be getting behind the wheel. There are studies that indicate that we would have vastly fewer vehicle accidents if we could eliminate even part of distracted driving. Some interesting studies can be found at www.nhtsa.gov, the website for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As individuals how easy would it be to simply choose to be more aware behind the wheel? We could all easily practice more present moment thinking, choose to pull over to use cell phones (there actually was a time when we all survived without them), never eat behind the wheel, leave 5 minutes earlier to eliminate distraction from being late, dress before we leave our homes, and the list could go on and on. What would we benefit from these simple (though difficult for many) acts? On the somewhat insignificant end we might see better traffic flow. Bigger possibilities might include lower car insurance premiums, even if they are only for you as the individual who improves your driving record, but maybe as big as better premiums overall! On the earth moving end of the spectrum, we could lose fewer loved ones as we see fewer accidents on our roadways. This is Conscious Living in action, and all it takes is a simple decision to be present in your own life moments.

There are so many other ways that choosing to live consciously can find us in better places. I hear so many times how people cannot figure out where their money goes. I can tell them exactly where it goes. It goes into the cup of coffee they “had to have today, because today was just ‘one of those days.’” They needed it, but how quickly the moment is forgotten. How quickly the fact that most days are “one of those days” is also forgotten. Then there was the snack that was picked up with the cup of coffee because breakfast was forgotten in the hurry out the door. After that there was the quick bite at noon, because who has time to pack a lunch these days? By the end of the day twenty dollars, and probably more with the convenience of credit and debit cards, has slipped though tired fingers mostly unnoticed. How easy it would be to save a few hard earned dollars if we just thought about each one of those transactions. Simply waking up in the morning and pledging to think about your actions through the day could be an enlightening experience for many and if that enlightenment led to even a few small changes, perhaps it could even be a life changing experience. Maybe more money could be found in the budget when you put a cap on the unconscious spending you do throughout the day.

How many projects would go better if we put just a tiny bit more thought into them? If we simply live in the moment and think about what we are doing. Numerous trips to the store could be avoided, messes and damage lessened, just for a bit of thought and planning. We would probably forget fewer things as we leave our homes and we would probably lose fewer things while we were out! We would probably find that we are capable of very good decisions when we put a little thought into the equation. Our diets might even improve if we live a bit more consciously! We might find ourselves eating something new, rather than simply plodding along in the same rut, because we never think about what is outside of the rut. We might ultimately eliminate that irksome moment in each day when we anguish over what to make for dinner, because we have already given it due thought!

There is even the off chance that you might find life just that little bit more beautiful when you choose Conscious Living. Maybe you will be aware enough of your surroundings to notice the intensely beautiful sunset on your daily commute home. Perhaps you will actually hear the wit blossoming in your young child as you actually pull yourself out of the stupor to listen to what they have to say. You may even find an incredible person staring back at you when you look in the mirror with a new consciousness. We can all be amazing individuals if we only take the time and make the effort, but we must be aware, alive and conscious to really do that!

As you live more consciously you may find that you have more time, because you put some thought into your morning routine, were conscious of the time and your needs. You may find you have more money, because you saw that beautiful sunset and you didn’t need that “pick me up” to get through another day. At the very least you should know where that twenty dollars went! You may find you are more happy, because your interactions are more vivid and real and more meaningful. So many wonderful things are out there just waiting, but only for those aware enough to notice them.

I challenge each person who might read this to just think about what you have read. Just by thinking about it, you have been more conscious even for a moment. Let consciousness become part of your daily life, start to live in a more vivid and clear world. The best part is that Conscious Living won’t cost you anything, all it takes in the power you have inside you already. All it takes is a decision, a decision to bring your world into focus! You might be surprised at the good things you have been overlooking! Live Consciously!

Creating a Chore Schedule

Our lives are busy. No matter what kind of life you lead, it is busy. Because we are so busy, many things are left undone and even forgotten. And yet, eventually, these undone and forgotten things affect us. When the house becomes unmanageable and we find ourselves with even less time due to the chaos, many of us probably wish for an answer. I think a great place to start is with a Chore Schedule.

When both my husband and I were working full time it seemed like things just got the better of us. It got to where the bathroom could have been entered in a science fair, the kitchen table had to be unearthed to even consider eating a meal there and sometimes we had to wear really random outfits since there were no clean clothes to be found. It was a bad situation in itself, but it got to the point of causing me so much stress I thought I was going to make myself ill. In came the Chore Schedule.

Creating a Chore Schedule is a very personal project. However, with a little bit of guidance you can feel more confident in your efforts and have a better functioning chore schedule from the get go. It might take a few weeks to really lock it in, but here is where to start.

Start
Get out a few pieces of paper. Sit down and prepare to brain storm.

Think about what bothers you most when things get out of hand - write those down.
Think about the chores you hate doing the most - write those down.
Think about the areas you do keep up with and aren't hard - write those down.
Think about every chore you think needs to be done, no matter how often - write those down.

Next
Look at your list.

Pick out the items that you feel must be done every day.
For example no matter what my everyday chores include:
Clearing the dining room table
Doing the dishes
Making the bed

Think about your week.
If you need, actually write out a time schedule of your typical week. Make note of days that have a little extra time and days that are really short on time.

Prioritize your list of chores.
Recopy the most important chores down through the less important chores.
For example I prioritize:
Cleaning the Bathrooms
Vacuuming the Floor
Doing Laundry
Cleaning the Kitchen

Compare your list of chores to the time slots in your week.
Fit the most important chores in first making sure to put the ones you know take more time in the larger time slots. The larger time slots should also be given to the chores you hate, so you are less likely to put them off due to time. Here is an example of the chores schedule we used when we were working:

Example Schedule
Everyday - Make Bed (when you get up), Clear Table/Do Dishes (after each meal.)
Monday - Clean Bathroom (including flooring)
Tuesday - Vacuum and Laundry (note: put in laundry first, so it can wash while you vacuum.)
Wednesday - Clean Kitchen (clean counters, sink, floor)
Grocery Trip (clear out refrigerator/pantry as you put groceries away.)
Thursday - Clean Living Room/Family Room (dust, clear furniture, put stuff away)
You can add an extra Laundry Day in here.
Friday - Odd Chores and Quick Vacuum.

Some special notes about this Chore Schedule example:

Notice there are no chores on the weekend. I reserve weekends for big projects (like cleaning cars) and fun time. I never ever like having to tell friends that I can't join them because I have chores to do. But you can put chores into the weekend if you absolutely cannot find time otherwise.

Also, I like to have my laundry loads spread out. It is easier on the machine and it makes it seem like a much less daunting task if you spread it out. Also, I like to have my second laundry day include my by weekly washing items such as towels and sheets.

Wednesday happened to be a day we had more time than others so we added in going to the grocery. And tidying your pantry and refrigerator as you go is just good use of time.

I added an extra vacuuming so that the floor would be clean for weekend visitors.

Option
Another way you can set up a chore schedule is to break things into rooms or areas. Instead of picking important chores, you could pick important areas. Such as prioritizing the rooms company sees and so on from there.

Example Schedule

Everyday - Make Bed (when you get up), Clear Table/Do Dishes (after each meal.)
Monday - Clean Living Room and Dining Room
Tuesday - Clean Bathrooms and Entry
Wednesday - Clean Kitchen
Thursday - Clean Bedrooms
Friday - Clean Odd Areas and Sweep Walkways.

By the end of the week, you will have a pretty clean house.

You could also reverse this schedule to clean the more private areas early in the week and the more public areas later - that way if you entertain on the weekend those areas are fresh and ready to go.

Try out your schedule.
I like to give my schedule a test period of at least your first week. You may find somethings need to be shuffled or prioritized differently. You may also want to make notes as to areas that you missed and need to be included and even ideas to make you chores more efficient.

As a last step, break down responsibilities Note them on your final schedule. We don't want any confusion about who does what.

Post your schedule on your refrigerator (or where you will see it everyday - even if it is on the bathroom mirror!)

Suggestions:

• Put a sticky note up with your Chore Schedule to record odd chores to be done, new ideas, etc.
• Use a simple timer to see how long each chore takes. This can help you schedule it and you may be surprised at how little time some things take.
  
• Use a timer to set an allotted amount of time for each chore and do as much in that time as you can.
  
• Remember, doing anything is better than doing nothing.

MOST IMPORTANT

DO YOUR CHORE SCHEDULE!

You will be surprised at how quick chores get if you keep up with them. Even if you can only fit in part of your schedule do it! You will not be as behind if you get at least something done and you will feel better!

Final Example Schedule

This is the current schedule I use and it is based on a bed and breakfast lifestyle. It is for people who are really serious neat freaks or have a little more time on their hands.

Everyday

Dining
Clear dining room table
Clean table, chairs and other surfaces
Dust and clean windows
Vacuum

Common Areas (sitting room, living room, entry)
Put things out of place away
Dust
Clean windows
Vacuum furniture
Vacuum floor

Bedrooms/Bathrooms
Make or change bed
Put odd things away
Dust
Clean windows
Vacuum

Clean shower (start with glass)
Put odd things away
Clear out trash cans
Wipe down sink/vanity
Wipe and sanitize toilet
Dust
Clean windows
Clean floor

Start Laundry

Kitchen
Clean out leftovers, tidy refrigerator, make new leftovers
Clean Cabinets and Stove Hood
Wipe down Stove/Oven
Clean counters
Do dishes (if you have a dishwasher you can put dishes in first to cycle while you work)
Clean sink
Take out trash/recyclables
Clean floors
Put clean dishes away

Outdoors
Tidy outdoor areas
Sweep decks
Sweep walks

Finish Laundry
Fold
Put Away

Special
Clean halls/passages as you move from area to area

You will have a perfectly clean home everyday and you can add in special chores in each day (like attics or deep cleaning areas.)

I actually apply a modified version of this most days, as all of these things do not need to be done everyday in your personal home. And I don't have enough laundry to merit doing it everyday.

So there you have it. A few ways to start your Chore Schedule. Be creative with your time, be flexible and try to make it the best for you. Check back for more blogs on using your time to the fullest and finding time where you didn't think there was any!

*If you really feel you can't create a chore schedule on your own, contact me. Chore schedules are one of the services I offer through Organizare. I am happy to consult and for a fee I will put your very own schedule together for you! Mention this blog and I will give you a discount!

Resolve to make Goals

Resolutions: easily made, easily broken it seems. So many people have such good intentions as the year changes anew. Yet, so often these good intentions are quickly forgotten and so we find ourselves playing out the same scenes as we have for so many years prior. Quite a cycle we get ourselves into...

I have never been one to make "resolutions." I am, instead, a person who lives by goals. Short term goals that support long term goals that blossom into long term achievements. I often tell people that projects and problems are like eating a hamburger, you gotta do it one bite at a time. We all can imagine what it would be like to try to eat a hamburger in one big bite. Which is probably why we choke on projects and problems. So I try very hard to look at all aspects of life with my hamburger in mind. Each project and problem - my hamburger - each small goal - a bite! Make a plan of bites (and not one out of the middle - because that doesn't work too well either) and getting chomping!

Here is an example of a recent problem I had and how I turned it into one tasty experience. I sometimes get overwhelmed by life, living and the other people in my life. We all do. So, the house had become a nightmare of piles, problems and unfinished projects. Not to mention getting chores done. I knew I needed a plan - and I knew I couldn't get it all done in one fell swoop. My plan would happen in stages - or bites. It went like this:

First, I cleaned up just the dining room table. Yep, just that.

The catch was that it now had to stay clean. (This is of course is usually the hard part.) Everyday, it had to be cleared and wiped down after each meal. It also had to not collect any items, no piles. Each thing that showed up on the table had to be put away where it belongs. And I kept at this goal each day.

Second, I added into the routine two "Must Do Rules."

Everyday I make the bed. And after every meal I do the dishes. There you have the two rules and they aren't even too hard. Now I had a clear space (they help with clear minds) and I had a tidy bed and no dirty dishes. I already felt better.

Then the progression began. I started in one room and cleaned it entirely. Putting each item out of its' place back into its' place. Dusting, clearing, vacuuming. Each day I did one room, making sure I kept the table clean, the bed made and the dishes washed. It really wasn't too taxing at all. Again, the hard part was making the goal to tidy the newly cleaned room each day. Keep it clean and clear!!!

I progressed from room to room. Sometimes breaking rooms down into multiple sections, so I didn't feel overwhelmed. But always making the goal to keep each newly cleaned room tidy. Honestly, if you simply make the conscious decision to not leave things out of place and to give things a regular once over it really isn't hard to keep up. Try it!

Finally, I got through every room and when I was done...

I had an entirely clean house. I had kept all the "done" rooms tidy and so when all was finished there were no messes left behind. And the most exciting part of it all. Now I spend just a short bit of time putting just a couple items away each day, follow my brief chore schedule (a blog on this coming soon!), and I have a clean and comfortable house with almost no effort! It is such a great feeling! Keeping on top of things takes almost no effort at all, especially compared to trying to clean the huge mess left if you don't make that little bit of effort. It is completely self-rewarding!!! Start small, work small and see yourself through to a huge achievement.

Organizing for Life

Organizing for life. I use this statement as a tag line for my business, Organizare. The face value of the statement is good, but my actual meaning is even better. When I organize I do it for life. More life. A more fulfilled life. What do I mean?

My idea of organizing means that life should be easier and more enjoyable after I am done. Tasks should be accomplished easier, quicker, maybe even cheaper. You might actually enjoy performing the task you have organized. You may find more time in your day, time to do the things you always want to do but are secondary to the other tasks at hand. You may find more money in your budget, because you aren't buying items you already have. You may be more inspired because your daily routine is a breeze and you can practically get things done with your eyes closed. Life is better. Life is organized. Organize for life.

I should probably explain a little about why I love organizing. All of my life I have been what you might call a disaster. To give an example of where I started (all the way back as a kid.) Yeah, I had been a mess for awhile! Anyway, I used to participate in lots of after school activities when I was in elementary school (surprise, surprise!) Anyway, my Mom used to come and walk us (me and my sister) home so she would often wait for us while we were in our activity. One day she went through my backpack. Yeah. She was not impressed. Nope not at all. The best way to describe what she found is, well, sedimentary layers of everything that had gone to - or should have come home from - school. Did I mention she was not impressed? Nor would I use the word pleased. A lot of things she never knew about were right there in the backpack of doom. I have come a long way.

It wasn't an overnight change. I was a procrastinator for most of my education. To be honest, almost all the way through college. But at least by that point I had given up trying to create sedimentary formations. It took a lot of bad things turning worse, rough consequences and a lot of sick stomachs to really move to being an organizer. Living on my own really helped too.

Today, I will tell you honestly that most of the reason that I am organized is because I am actually one of the world's most lazy people. Being organized saves so much time and frustration. I also don't function well in a certain type of chaos. I will absolutely admit and accept my weaknesses. I think more clearly and efficiently with clear areas to work in, focus on, etc. Basically, what I mean is you don't have to be perfect to be organized. So don't hesitate to be so.

I am going to open a new section in this blog where I will share some of my favorite organizing ideas with you, as well as, show off a few of the projects I have done (to give you an idea of what I do and what you too can have in your life!) I hope that you will find some of what I share useful and that maybe you will be inspired to try some of the ideas out in your own home, office, car, anywhere! Yet one more way to live a beautiful life!