Unfortunately, the deep South doesn’t get snow very often. But that doesn’t keep Southerners from going all out with decorations for Christmas. In fact, Christmas decorating in the South often starts before Halloween.

Maybe it’s the same everywhere, but here in the South you start seeing Christmas decorations in the stores not long after the back-to-school sales are over. You might even find some stores that have Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving decorations, and Christmas decorations separated only by an aisle. Yep, you can take care of all of your holiday decorating needs at one time and at one store.

It’s not uncommon to see outside decorations in the South. Painted deer sculptures with garland and lights stand guard on lawns. You may find Santa waving from the porch and ten foot snow globes. Don’t forget to look for the Grinch on other lawns to give you an idea of how the homeowner feels about Christmas.

One thing you may see in the South that you may not see in other parts of the country are decorated doors. Homeowners wrap their entry doors with wrapping paper. Find an extra wide wrapping paper, wide enough to go around your door, and tape it so the tape can’t be seen. If you can’t find wrapping paper large enough, piece it together the best you can. Then find a large ribbon and bow to cover any seams. If the wrapping paper is too much for you, you can also use only the ribbon and bow to give a simpler look that won’t block your being able to see out of your door windows.

Some people in the South go overboard when it comes to Christmas lights. Not only are there major attractions with thousands of lights, but some individuals will do something similar but on a smaller scale. It’s not uncommon for Southerners to drive around in a city to see the many homes that have Christmas lights.

Wreaths are popular Christmas decorations all over the world. In the South you may find Christmas wreaths with Magnolia flowers in them regardless of the fact that Magnolias are no longer in bloom in the winter. You can also find them with greenery and pine cones along with normal Christmas ornaments.

Gingerbread houses are common decorations at Christmas time. Some gingerbread houses are large enough to be placed as centerpieces. Children can create smaller gingerbread houses to decorate Christmas trees. Look online to find directions to make them out of clean white meat trays or foam board, cereal boxes, and t-shirt paints.

Even though it’s rare to have snow at Christmas in the South, that doesn’t mean Southerners don’t enjoy the holidays. Deep South decorations for Christmas aren’t really that different from other areas in the country. They may have their own Southern charm, but that’s how people in the South are, too.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 links spicy pork sausage, sliced
1 cup water
2 pounds frozen green beans
Seasoning salt to taste

Instructions:

Sauté the garlic and onion until tender. Add sausage to skillet and brown all over. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Now add the green beans. Cover, reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 30 minutes until green beans are ready. You may need to add a little more water about half way if it starts to get low. Season to your tastes.

Prep. Time-10 minutes or less:

Egg Roll Ups

Scrambled eggs take only a few minutes to make, like 5 or less, making for a quick and healthy way to start the day because they are packed with protein. Roll scrambled eggs into a flour tortilla or a slice of bread. Add other ingredients on hand for flavor and nutrition, like shredded cheese, chopped onion, chopped green pepper, diced ham, crumbled sausage or sliced jalapenos while cooking.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Sandwiches

You can use either microwavable bacon, or pre-cooked bacon that you’ve saved. While the bacon is heating in the microwave, toast two halves of an English muffin. Then place two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese between the muffin halves. Wrap in a paper towel and go. This breakfast sandwich is easy to handle and delicious! You can do the same thing with a sausage patty if you so desire.

Pancake Roll Ups

Use pre-made pancakes, frozen or refrigerated. After re-heating, spread your favorite ingredients like peanut butter, your favorite jelly, honey or butter. Roll up and go. You can also use a sausage link or a slice of bacon if you have some already cooked in the fridge or freezer that will only take a few seconds to reheat.

Not So Typical Bagel

There are many ways you can turn an ordinary bagel into a hot breakfast on the go. Instead of just spreading cream cheese or butter on your bagel, top it with a slice of warm ham, pre-made sausage or bacon. You can also scramble some eggs with cheese if you prefer for a nice, warm and tasty on-the-go breakfast.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be skipped or cold incorporating the ideas above. With a little planning and imagination, you can start your family off with a hot breakfast that is faster and healthier than going through the drive through.

Save Time And Money By Planning Your Meals

To help with the issue of not enough time to make breakfast and to give you some added motivation to encourage you to eat breakfast, here are some great tasting breakfast ideas that you can make ahead and freeze. Then all you have to do is grab them, heat up quickly in the microwave, and go!

Quiche Cups

Quiche cups are easy, quick and healthy to make. You can use a wide variety of ingredients and they heat up in as fast as 30 seconds in the microwave. Plus they are easy to eat on the go.

Simply whip up some eggs in a bowl (you can use egg substitutes if you desire). Then add any of the following ingredients you wish.

• Shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Colby)
• Chopped onion
• Chopped, cooked spinach
• Mushrooms
• Diced ham
• Crumbled sausage
• Bacon, chopped
• Chopped green peppers

You can use any combination of vegetables, meats and cheeses to suit your taste buds.

Mix well, and then pour the egg mixture into a muffin pan lined with small cupcake holders. Bake on 350F for 20 minutes. Let cool. Place two to four cups in quart size freezer baggies and freeze. When re-heating, place in microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Grab and go!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancake Roll Ups

Another idea for a quick, easy-to-reheat, on-the-go breakfast is to make extra pancakes on Saturday morning. Freeze the extra pancakes in a large freezer bag. When you need a quick, hot breakfast, grab a couple, place on a paper towel or paper plate, then microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Spread with peanut butter and jelly, roll up and go.

Sausage Biscuits

When you are making Sunday morning breakfast, be sure to make some extra sausage patties for these delicious, on-the-go sausage biscuit sandwiches.

Prepare a can of refrigerated biscuit dough (usually makes about 8 biscuits) according to package directions. Place a cooked sausage patty between two biscuits and freeze in a quart size freezer bag.

To microwave, remove from freezer bag, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 1 minute to 1.5 minutes. You can add a slice of cheese if you prefer before heating. Grab and go.

Breakfast Burritos

Growing up in the Southwest, I usually like to throw a Mexican or Spanish twist to lots of the foods my family eats. Here’s a favorite that can be made ahead, frozen and reheated.

Combine scrambled eggs with your favorite ingredients, like: chopped onion, chopped green pepper, diced ham, crumbled sausage, mushrooms, olives, diced tomato, sliced jalapenos and shredded cheese. Place on flour tortilla and sprinkle with hot sauce. Roll up and secure with toothpick if necessary. Place in freezer bag and freeze. When reheating, place burrito in a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Grab and go!

With a little planning and thinking ahead, breakfast doesn’t have to be a cold bowl of cereal, or non-existent!

Learn How To Plan Your Meals

1 (3 pound) whole chicken
4 carrots, halved
4 stalks celery, halved
1 large onion, halved
water to cover
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (optional)

Put the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Heat and then simmer, uncovered until the meat falls off of the bones (ocasionally, skim the foam off). Take everything out of the pot. Strain the broth. Pick the meat off of the bones and chop the carrots, celery and onion. Season the broth with salt, pepper and chicken bouillon to taste, if desired. Return chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the pot, stir together, and serve

Most people have a junk drawer in their homes. Whether it is a drawer in the kitchen or in your bedroom nightstand, it’s always there gathering more and more junk as the years progress. Cleaning out the junk drawer can be fun. Really; it can. You never know what you may find.

Well, the day has finally arrived. You have to clean out the junk drawer because it’s driving you nuts, right? Well, let’s get to it then.

The first thing not to do is try to take the drawer out. Get a large box and begin transferring all of the junk items into the box. Now you can take the box to the kitchen table or just sit on your bed and go through each item. Ensure you have a plastic bag ready to throw out whatever you don’t wish to keep. Which brings up another point: some people just hate to throw away anything. But, you have to make the effort.

Ready? Let’s begin. After you’ve put everything into the box, begin the sorting out process. What did you find? Small photo frames, costume jewelry, boxes of paper clips, pens, recipes, a few soft covered books, mementos, paper and index cards, unused greeting cards or cards you’ve saved from loved ones, figurines, new wallets still in boxes, lotions, pictures, perfumes, notes of all kinds, well……you get the picture, right?

After you have made your neat little piles, you have to decide what you want to keep. Ideally, all of the old stuff should be tossed. However, if you are a saver, that’s unlikely. If you must save anything, why not put them in a scrapbook. For example, the old cards, letters, pictures, and notes can be neatly preserved by starting a scrapbook. Frames can either be utilized or given away. The books can be donated to the library. All of the lotions and perfumes can be tossed, especially if they are very old. Put the mementos way in a shoe box and be sure to label the box and place it on a shelf in your bedroom closet. Everything else which does not have sentimental value can be tossed.

You can convert the junk drawer for that which it was intended such as another lingerie drawer or a utensil drawer if the junk drawer was in your kitchen. You can give away any of the new things you find that you will never use. Well, what do you think? Look at it this way, you’d just taken a few hours to clean out a drawer that wasn’t mean for junk and can be used for other things you may have scrunched into other drawers. Feel better now?

Chicken Baguette Salad

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sizes pieces
Half a baguette, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
Olive oil
Handful of arugula or other lettuce leaves
½ packet feta cheese, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375F.

Put the chicken pieces, baguette and tomato pieces in a roasting dish and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the chicken pieces are no longer pink.

Divide the lettuce leaves on two dinner plates and place the warm chicken and tomato salad on top. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy!

This warm chicken salad makes a very tasty and light lunch.

There are a number of quick and easy ways to prepare healthy snacks which you can do given that you have such a tight schedule. And even if you it appears that you have an uncompromising schedule, it would be best to slip in a few minutes each day to consider your health.

Now if you’re an adult you take responsibility for your own state of health, but if you’re kids are snacking as well, then the more you should be responsible for their health relies on your hands as well. In order for your kids to eat healthier snacks, what you should try to do first off is prepare something interesting.

Keep your kids and your self interested. If you find a banana ordinary, serve it with peanut butter or jelly. Make sure to keep colorful foods like apples, orange, and carrots part of your snack time. Search for healthy dips or fillings for sandwiches and even for rice cakes, carrot and celery sticks. Be inventive and look for other combinations that can spice up your healthy snack time.

Those packed of potato chips can be quite unhealthy so why not go with tortilla chips and a homemade salsa. By just combining tomato, and chili you can create a pretty awesome salsa. This beats the processed, too salty chips you buy off the supermarket shelf.

Fruit smoothies are pretty good snacks as well. You will have to prepare the fruits in advance. Place the fruits inside your freezer. When you crave for a snack, get a frozen banana, for example, and pour in milk and just blend. You can produce a really creamy drink.

If you want something heavy to match your smoothie, then why not prepare several pieces of ham, cream cheese and bell pepper slices. What you do is spread the cream cheese, this should be the fat free one, on top of the ham. Put a bell pepper slice on it and roll the ham. Or if you’re not a ham person, try baby carrots with hummus. Actually, you can dip other vegetables in your hummus as well. Cherry tomatoes and sliced red bell peppers are quite good when dipped into hummus.

A fresh salad is also a refreshing and very healthy snack. All you need is some romaine lettuce, slices of carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, a little bit of salt and pepper to taste or better yet just use vinaigrette. You might want to prepare the vegetables in advance if you want to have your salad faster. There are salad ready vegetable packs available in your neighborhood supermarket but can be quite pricy. It would be better if you prepare the vegetables yourself.

Now the key in this healthy snack routine is to keep your health snack near your reach at all times. When you begin to feel the urge to snack, you take your snack pack and start munching. This way you will not have the urge to buy that chocolate bar or a bag of chips from the vending machine. With the quick and easy ways of preparing healthy snacks, I don’t see why you have to resort to the unhealthy ones.

Get organized

First thing’s first, obtain your credit card records to have a better idea of your spendings. Be sure to double check the records for errors and ensure its accuracy.   Check the dollar amounts and also any unauthorized charges.

Evaluate your credit card

Go over your recent credit card records and look at the interest rates. Some credit card companies have promos where they offer lower interest rates for a period of time and this promo may already be over yet you have no idea and are already paying at a higher interest rate. Also take note of the membership fee which they charge annually since some have very high membership fees. Consider cancelling this if you are not using it frequently.

Pay on time

It is important to pay your bills on time since it can have a negative effect on your credit record or rating. You will also be able to avoid getting charged because of not paying on time. Try asking the credit card company to remove the overdue charge if you have forgotten to pay it on time for the first time.

Manage your debts

If you see that you have more debt than what is comfortable, think ahead and plan out how you will repay it or at least reduce your debt. Devise a way to pay more than what is required so that you will have a reduced payment schedule. Prioritize the card that has the highest interest rate. If you have a hard time with shopping temptations, leave the cards at home.  If they are in your wallet, you are much more apt to use it.

Don’t bite more than you can chew

As the saying “don’t bite more than you can chew” goes, do not spend more than you can afford. True, a beautiful gold bracelet may be enjoyable to wear but, unless you pay that card off the following month, that gold bracelet could end up costing twice as much.

Don’t worry too much on the chicken parts you are using. Believe me when I say that you won’t run out of recipes for each chicken part. All you need are the right ingredients and you can have a delicious meal in no time. You can combine these simple recipes with some useful cooking techniques which will make the whole process even easier and the resulting dish much tastier.

For example, when baking or grilling chicken, it would be best to leave the skin on first to make the meat tastier. You can remove the skin afterwards when you serve or eat it. Most of the fat of the chicken is stored in the skin. You can have a low fat chicken dish just by removing the skin. When you do prepare chicken dishes, I would suggest sticking with baking, broiling, and grilling. As much as possible, avoid frying the chicken. There are a lot more delicious and healthier ways to prepare and cook chicken aside from frying so let’s do that.

Let’s see, you can cook a tasty chicken dish with cream of mushroom soup. What you do is place sliced and skinned chicken on a pot and mix a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add another can of mushrooms but make sure the water has been drained. Add water and onion soup mix into it. You can cook this in low fire until the chicken is tender. Add salt to taste. And that’s it. Although, this recipe may take longer since you will have to cook the chicken in low fire to get that taste but the recipe is easy and the preparation is simple.

If you’re craving for pasta, you can add chicken into it to have a fuller meal. What you do is cut boneless and skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sauté it together with garlic, green pepper, some onions and mushrooms. Make sure the chicken is cooked already when you add the vegetables. In a few minutes the vegetables should be done as well. At this point mix in your tomato or spaghetti sauce. You can cook your pasta while you’re doing this so by the time you’re done with the chicken, the pasta is firm and ready to be served. Sauce your pasta and top with grated cheese or parmesan cheese.

If you like a different approach, mix olive oil to your pasta instead of spaghetti sauce. That sounds interesting. When you combine pasta and chicken it seems that you can’t go wrong. Both dishes are very easy to prepare individually and combining the two is just simply mixing the dishes.

You see, by having some quick and easy chicken dishes in mind, you can save your family and yourself a lot of time in preparing your meals. Start reading and looking for those quick recipes.

To those experienced in the kitchen, this kind of meal is easy to make. But to the novices might still find pasta a little daunting or troublesome. One thing that you should watch out when cooking pasta is the noodles. You need to test every now and then to see if the noodles are done. The pasta cooks pretty quickly and leaving it too long can result to soggy noodles.

Avoid placing the pasta when the water is not yet boiling. This will help prevent the pasta from becoming all mushy, soft and sticky. Also, keep the water at a boil at all times. You can help make the pasta firmer if you add salt into the boiling water. Note that you should not cover the pot when you already placed the pasta. When the pasta is done, take it off the boiling water. The pasta will continue to cook if you leave it there. With that, one half of your pasta meal is done. The other half would be the sauce.

The good thing about pasta is having several choices for sauces. Actually, at some point you will be stomped on what kind of sauce to make due to the varieties. If you’re a pasta person then having a couple of sauces stored in your refrigerator would be the best ways to go. If you have pesto, you can use that to sauce your pasta. Add additional garlic, some mushrooms or even Italian sausages and topped with cheese and you can have a good meal.

Bottled or canned sun-dried tomatoes can go well with pasta. I always try to have some sun-dried tomatoes ready since you can just pour it over your pasta and voila! A tomato based pasta without the traditional tomato sauce and pastes. Top with grated cheese and partnered with bread and you can have a fulfilling meal in no time.

If you want a cream-based sauce, just prepare some sliced olives, cream, oregano and grated cheese. Mix the cream, olives and oregano together with your pasta and finish off with grated cheese on top. A simple cream-based pasta but can be quite joyous to the palette.

Olive oil is also a staple sauce for pasta and can be quite easy to use as well. You can mix olive oil with canned seafood or slices of meat or sausages to create a sauce for your pasta. You can add basil for flavor and don’t forget the grated cheese. If you want to experiment, try adding spicy flavored meat or canned seafood. Spicy pasta may not be for everyone but still a good dish in my account.

A pasta meal in a flash is really just that. In a span of 15 to 20 minutes you would have already prepared a good, hearty meal of pasta in either tomato, cream or olive-based sauce. It is a quick meal that I personally won’t get tire off.

Use less water.

Saving water is all about small steps, here are a few that will help save big.

- Shut off the water while you brush your teeth
- Take showers that are a minute or two shorter
- Only flush the toilet when you need to
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes
- Buy from sustainable producers. These are farmers, ranchers, and other producers that use techniques that pollute less and use less water. You can do some research online or ask at your local organic market to find these products.

Use less energy.

If you don’t have the money to buy a hybrid car or convert your house to solar power, you can make a big difference with small changes.

- Buy energy efficient appliances. They may be more expensive, but make up for the increased cost in lower energy bills.
- Unplug chargers when you’re not using them. Cell phone and other chargers use up powers even if there’s nothing attached to them.
- Put devices with remotes, like T.V.s, VCRs, and stereos, on a power strip and turn it off when you’re not using them. These devices use a lot of power to run the remote receiver even when the device is off.
- Walk or ride your bike for short trips.
- Buy local products. It takes energy to transport food and other products across the country. Buying local not only supports your local economy, it helps them use less energy.

When it comes to saving energy and water, it’s a great idea to get the kids involved. You can even make it a game. Have them track how much water and electricity everyone is using. You can compete to see who uses the least water. You can often count on your kids to help keep you on track when given the task.

Reuse.

Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought there are many items around your home that can be reused – toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch. And old yogurt containers can be cut into strip to make plant labels. Old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.

Use environmentally friendly products. When you go to the grocery store, you probably see more and more “natural” or “eco friendly” products every time. There are generally two big problems with these products: 1. Just because they’re more natural than regular products, doesn’t mean they’re entirely natural. 2, They’re often expensive.

If you want inexpensive, natural, safe products, why not just make them yourself. Vinegar is a great way to clean and disinfect glass and other surfaces. Need to remove stubborn stains? Just add some baking soda to your vinegar cleaner.  More cleaning recipes can be found here. 

We all know that going green means better for the environment, but it’s also better for you. Conserving resources also helps save you money, which is something most of us are happy to live with.

This book has many great ideas? Click Here!

Grommets, slipped over wall hooks, produce a simple, crisp window treatment. Generally, a hammer and a grommet tool works at least as well for setting just a few grommets. The grommet prevents the hook from tearing through the hole. You can thread rayon cording through grommets and tie behind the grommets to create loops to hang from a wooden dowel or hooks above the window.

There are also stylish clips that can be found at flea markets and antique stores that simply latch onto the fabric. Home decorating and import stores also carry clip-on rings to hang curtains from.

You can even use buttons on curtains. Simply thread fine wire through the holes and sections of ribbon and simply twist the wire on the back side to create simple ribbon loops to hang the curtain with.

Let your creativity be your guide, and you can craft window treatments that reflect your personality and style. You’re only limited by your own imagination.

Many times busy parents resort to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza or frequent trips to a fast-food restaurant. That’s not healthy for you or the kids – not to mention its pretty rough on the family grocery budget.

Kitchen time savers

There are things you can do to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Pick one day a week and prepare several freezer friendly meals. You can even go the extra mile and package them in individual serving size containers. Doing so will provide your family with a larger variety of entrée choices, on any given day.

Do you have friends that are intrigued with the idea of a one-day a week cooking spree or a meal planning service? Get together with 2 or 3 of them. Each of you decides on 2 main dishes you want to prepare. Buy enough ingredients to make the entrees for each family.

You need to plan ahead

One simple thing that you can do is keep an ample supply of fresh fruits, salad ingredients, soups and fresh sandwich fixings, on hand. Quick meals such as this are nutritious and don’t require a great deal of preparation time.

If you take on the task of meal planning and want to get in the habit of consistently putting together weekly menus yourself, you may be surprised at how much time it involves. Did you know that the typical family meal planner spends roughly 3 hours per week combing through cookbooks, choosing recipes and compiling a grocery list? That translates into 156 hours, per year. Yikes!

A menu service can help

You can say goodbye to last minute thrown together meals and eliminate the stress of dinner planning for your family by subscribing to a meal planning service. This type of service is very affordable, usually costing only a few cents per day. Menus are often designed to be family friendly and easily adaptable.

When you purchase a subscription to a service such as this, your membership will typically feature a weekly menu emailed right to your inbox. This includes seven main dish recipes, side dish suggestions and dessert ideas. As an added benefit, you receive a detailed shopping list, categorized by aisle, which makes your trip to the grocery store that much easier. Simply cross off items already in your pantry, add any other products you may be in need of and you’re off!

If you enjoy planning your own menu, you may want to consider a dinner planning service, in addition to your own choices. Why? It will still save you time, in the long run. Use the membership menu as a base. Then, search for recipes that will deliciously compliment that weekly plan.

Remember, nothing is more important than family time. Don’t let dinner planning get you down. Consider the suggestions we’ve made and you’ll spend less time
slaving over hot stove and more time with the people you love.

For a free weekly trial of a family friendly menu planning service, visit DineWithoutWhine.com

Description: This backpack is designed to carry everything you need not only to school but also to work or play. Made of polyester the s-shaped straps make for easy carrying along with the webbed handle. It has 2 large compartments and a front pocket that contains an organizer and a headphone port. There is even a pocket on the bottom for hiding keys or money.

Review: This backpack is wonderful. It is large enough to carry all the supplies I need including all my books for classes.

We have a tendency to lay our book bags down anywhere and before you know it they are a mess. The polyester material makes cleaning this book bag very easy.

It is put together well, making for a very sturdy backpack. When you carry half of your life in it you don’t want the seams coming apart or zippers breaking.

It is also very comfortable to carry either on your back or in your hand. With the s-shape of the straps there’s very little sliding off your shoulders. It also helps in keeping the backpack centered in your back. This helps because all the weight is not shifting to one side or the other.

You just can’t beat this backpack for the student, businessperson, new parent or anyone else in your household.

Whether you work at home, stay at home or work full time if you have kids making time for them is the most important priority in your to do list each day. Do you ever have days where you just put the kids to bed and realize you haven’t read any books to them today, gone outside to play or just sat down and played a game of Candyland or Go Fish with them. Somedays they are fed, clothed and happy and you can call it a good day.

How can you find little ways to corporate more playing, laughing and enjoying your kids?

1. Make a point to eat together everyday. As kids get older they become busier but make family meal time a must in your house. Whether it is only breakfast and dinner it is important to use the time to talk to your kids and enjoy their company. Consider taking dinner with you if you are on the go.

2. Set a bedtime routine that includes 10 minutes at least with each child.
Even if they are 16 you can still go in their room and talk to them for a few minutes. For younger children bedtime is a great time to read or have them read to you. Talk about what their favorite thing they did today was or what they want to do tomorrow. Asking them questions that provides more than a yes or no answer can open the lines of communication as well as not asking too broad questions. Asking a 5 year old what they did in kindergarten may be too hard for them to answer but ask them what they did in circle time or who they ate lunch with they can easily answer.

3. Have special one on one activities with each child each day or an outing once a week. Whether it is something simple like playing a game, letting them help you with a household chore or going out to lunch once a week make it time when they have your full attention.

4. Get your kids involved in making dinner. It may take a little longer when they are younger but it is great quality time with your kids. Not too mention teaching them to cook has many added benefits like instilling healthy eating habits, reiterating school lessons and improving their self esteem.

5. Take your kids with you to run errands, shopping or where ever possible. Listen and sing to kids music with them. Play a game of 20 questions while you are waiting at the doctor’s office. Tell them a story about “when you were little”. These times can be great teaching moments.

Whatever you do, don’t let a day pass that you forget to take time for your kids. Give them a hug and tell them you love them but also show them by your actions throughout the day. I know if you are like me you don’t mean to overlook the time we could be spending with our kids but we get busy, life passes us by and our kids just keep on growing!

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www.kids-cooking-activities.com has kids cooking lesson plans to help you in teaching your kids to cook and giving them activities to explore and learn in the kitchen. You will also find seasonal cooking activities, kids craft recipes, easy kids meals and so much more. Getting your child involved in the kitchen and learning to cook is an opportunity not to be missed.

Here are a few tips to help you do just that and more importantly help you get organized at home for the long term.

Recycle old newspapers and magazines – Don’t let them pile up all around your house, more than likely you won’t get back to that newspaper article or magazine column again so once you finish with it, recycle it.

Have a message station – Keep your telephone, pens, note pads, mail, and calendar in one central location. Jot down all important dates and appointments as soon as you schedule them.

Have a filing system – Don’t let piles of papers clutter your house. Deal with bills and mail as soon as you get it. Set up a filing system for pending and need to be filed items, and don’t forget to file them. Also, take a little time and actually clean out your old papers and files. If you haven’t used something in a while but don’t want to get rid of it put it in a box labeled old files and store it away in your attic or garage.

Put it Away – First you need to make sure you have a place for everything in your house, then get into the habit of putting things away as soon as you finish with them. Teach your kids to do the same. If you take a few seconds to put things away you’ll never have an overwhelming problem on your hands. Make sure the kids know there is an appropriate place for everything.

Multi task – Don’t let precious minutes slip away. If you’re on hold on the telephone, why not use that time to clean out your purse. If a friend calls for a chat, clean the house or fold the laundry while you’re talking. You’ll get your chores done without even noticing.

The Basket Technique – Works especially well if your house is set over two or more floors. Go from room to room with one large basket and place items that don’t belong in the room inside your basket. Then simply put the items back where they belong. This will save you time and help keep things organized.

The Evening Tidy – Each evening take a few minutes to put things back in their place. Try to do a quick tidy and leave your things ready for the next day. You could set out placemats for breakfast and pack the kids lunches.

This will help you avoid rushing in the morning but you’ll also feel good to wake up to a neat and tidy house.

Here are some ideas to help you get organized at home

Easy home organizing tips to help you create the peaceful yet child friendly home you’ve been dreaming of.

 Before starting you should make a plan of what needs to be done.  Go through each room and identify what room needs extra storage, what type of storage, etc.  You should then invest in a few storage and space saving solutions.

 Bookcases, under bed storage, hanging storage (for kid’s rooms), and shelves are all great space saving ideas for clutter free rooms.  You can find inexpensive and fun storage at Ikea, Target or Walmart.

 This is also a good time to reconsider room layouts.  By organizing furniture and storage in a practical order it will be easier to stay organized and keep things tidy.  If the kids are constantly leaving clothes on their bedroom floors, give them each a laundry hamper.  They can keep it in a corner of their room or closet to make it easy and accessible for them to quickly throw the laundry in the basket.

 Color code their bedroom drawers or toy boxes to make it easier to put things away.  For example, cars and trains can go in a yellow box while legos go in the green box.  You can do this for the sock drawer or t-shirt drawer by placing a color sticker on each one or you can even label it with a picture of the items meant to go in there.

 Little steps like this can make the overall task of staying organized a lot easier.

 Once you have your storage sorted, you can start organizing by tackling one room at a time.  Make three piles, one for charity, one for keeping and one for the trash and be ruthless.  If you haven’t used it within the last month unless it has sentimental value then you can either store it or give it away.  Think of how much better you’ll feel coming home to a clutter free house.

 Now that you’ve organized your home and all your storage solutions are in place, we’ll show you how to keep it that way in part 2 of Getting Organized at Home.

These easy home office storage solutions should help do the trick:

Message Station – Set up an area in your office for messages. This is where you will keep the telephone/fax machine, post it notes, message pads and plenty of pens. You may also want to keep important phone numbers or details your clients may ask for. A calendar is also a great addition.

Filing Solutions – Whether you use a filing cabinet or filing boxes you’ll need some type of system in place to stay organized. Filing cabinets are great for filing away papers you need but perhaps don’t use on a regular basis. A desk with a folder storage drawer which acts just like a mini filing cabinet is great for keeping important papers on hand while you’re working.

Receipts and Payments – Have a box or tray folder on your desk which you can label “Receipts” and another “Payments” keep all important receipts and notes of any payments made in these boxes. At the end of each month place all receipts and payments in another folder, label with the corresponding month’s date and file away to use for tax and accounting purposes.

Shelves – A very simple yet effective office storage solution. Put up a couple of shelves and take some clutter off your desk and floor. Purchase a few inexpensive boxes (photo boxes work great), label and keep all sorts of items in there from stationary to receipts.

Go Electronic – There are many accounts and records you can now keep on your computer rather than acquiring all that extra paper. All your bookkeeping as well as account records can be done electronically. So why not free up some valuable space in your office while helping the environment.

Organize Home Office – When running a home office, most people have a small space to work with, sometimes as little as a desk in the corner of the family room. But, with some creativity and the right equipment, it’s possible to have an efficient workspace.

Home Office Organizing Tip – Your home office not only needs to be clutter-free, but also needs to be functional as a workspace. You think more clearly and will get more done when your environment is clean and tools are within easy reach.

First, decide what types of things you want to have a permanent home in the family room. The entertainment center is usually in the family room, so decide on the best way to store all the movies and music the family enjoys. There are many all-in-one units that hold the TV, stereo and other components, but they can be expensive and take up a lot of space. If you don’t plan on changing the layout of the room, the cabinets are a good choice. But, if you like to change the look of the room, smaller, more portable furniture would be a better choice.

To store the movies and music, there are many different styles of storage racks, from simple wood cabinets or bookshelves, to modern metal units that have a sculpture look to them. There are storage racks that are free standing, and others that can be attached to the wall. A closet with added shelves can also make a great place to store the media, especially with young children, who tend to use them for building blocks.

Allow the children to have a few favorite toys in the living room. Give them each a container, either with their names on it, or their favorite color. Then they are allowed to keep just enough toys in the room that fit in that box. If they can’t get it to fit in the box, then they need to find a home for it in their room, or the playroom. They can always change which toys are in their boxes, but they still have to follow the rule that if it doesn’t fit, it can’t stay. Then, they know that at the end of the day, their toys need to go back in their containers.

Finally, create a home for the newspapers and magazines that will invariably accumulate on the tables and on the floor. A simple rack against the wall will make a nice home for these print items and this can be cleaned out on a monthly basis.

The living room is for living in so you don’t want to create a sterile environment but you don’t want things to go wild either.

Most families Spend a lot of time in their kitchens. In many households the kitchen is really the heart of the home. You definitely want to make this room a relaxing family space but also practical to make family meal times and cooking as stress free as possible.

Here are a few kitchen storage ideas:

Baskets – baskets of all sizes are great for storing kitchen contents from spices to sandwich bags. Put up a couple of shelves, place some cute baskets on them and start using them.

Jars – Jars are great for storing kitchen items. You can use them in your pantry to store smaller loose items like tea bags or cookies or you can place them on your counter tops to make extra space in your pantry or cupboards.

Wall Magazine Racks – You can pick these up at Walmart or Target and they’re great, just hang them on your wall and keep your magazines or newspapers in there.

And here are a few added tips to help keep your kitchen organized:

Organize Your Work Stations – To make cooking easier you want to make sure you have everything you need close at hand. Have an area for preparing the meals. It’s good to keep your spices and seasonings close to this area. You’ll also want to have chopping boards, knives and mixing spoons close at hand. Have another area for serving and keep all your dishes, serving spoons, placemats and utensils there.

By incorporating work stations into your kitchen and keeping everything you need near each work station, you’ll save a lot of time.

Organize Your Fridge – Clean out your fridge and organize things in categories to make finding them easier when you’re in a rush. It’s a good idea to keep all your dairy products together. Place cold cuts in tightly sealed plastic containers and label them. This will keep them fresh and also make it easier to find. You can do the same thing with cheese and left over foods.

Separate your fruit and salad items from your other vegetables so that you can find them easier. Often times you’ll forget you have those tomatoes in the back drawer and buy more. By keeping things organized you’ll waste and spend less.

Organize Your Pantry – Arrange your pantry or cupboards according to foods. For example keep all your canned goods in one place and cereal in another. Keep the items you use most within easy reach and put away those appliances you never seem to use. They’re just taking up counter top space.

Plan Your Meals – This is by far the easiest way to organize your meal times. Take a few minutes and write out a meal plan and shopping list for the upcoming week. Buy everything in advance and stock up on items you use regularly and have a long shelf life. Then stick your menu on your fridge, glance at it each morning and plan ahead. Thaw any meat that needs thawing or chop and add your items to your crock pot.

Let’s start with the biggest problem-paper clutter:

* Throw junk mail away immediately – Keep a trash can or recycling box, near the door just for junk mail, don’t even let it in the house.

* Purchase a hanging file system – These filing systems are designed to hang from a hook on the back of a door, so it can be hidden in a closet. They usually fold up to about the size of a small brief case. Label each pocket based on your needs, such as bills that need paid, copies of receipts of payments from customers, and tax deductions (even if you aren’t sure something is deductible, save the receipt and check later).

* Scan and save to disc older papers that you don’t need on hand, but want for reference. Discs take up a lot less room than the paper, but can be easily printed out if you need a hard copy.

Office supplies can be a challenge, but a few simple storage containers can keep the clutter to a minimum. Get a drawer divider that has compartments for different sized things. If you need a “travel office”, a child’s school box or art supply box can make a nice option. Periodically check your pens, if they are dry, toss them.

If space is a real premium, consider getting a laptop computer, rather than a desktop. It allows more flexibility. Printers are also getting more compact, and are often combined with scanner/copier/fax systems all in one. The prices are coming down on them all the time, and if you shop around, you can get really good deals with rebates.

If you don’t even have a corner of a room for an office, some people have successfully converted a larger closet into an office area. You may not have a nice view, but you can install a good light, build a desk out of filing cabinets and some counter top scrap in the closet. Work with the door open, and when you’re done, close the door and even if your desk is a bit cluttered, nobody will see it from the outside.

Go to the nearest house ware store and purchase some Rubbermaid clothing boxes; a shoe rack; hooks; and a dozen or more hangers. While there, buy an under the bed storage box as well. Once you get home, here is what you can do.

* First, take everything out of your closet.
* Decide what clothes, bags, belts and shoes you want to keep and put the rest in a pile.
* Take the jumbo boxes and place your bags in one; and your summer or winter tops or sweaters in the other.
* Mark the boxes accordingly, and place them on the top shelf of the closet.
* Hang some hooks on the side of the closet for your belts, and everyday bags.
* Put the shoe rack on the floor against the back of the wall.
* Place the shoes on the show rack.
* Using the new hangers, place the clothes back in the closet.
* Place everything you are getting rid of into a large plastic garbage bag and call your local church or Goodwill for pickup in the morning.

Depending upon the size of your closet, and the amount of clothing you own, there may have to be some adjustments made. But for right now, you are set to go. Well, not quite yet. Is your bedroom cluttered? Then the next step is to clear up the mess. Discard any old magazines or newspapers. Place all your jewelry back into the jewelry box. Remember that storage box you purchased? You can use it to store excess items spilling out of your dresser drawers. Yes, you’ll have to go through them as well.

Once you are finished, you will be exhilarated for having taken on the job! More importantly, you will have more space available than you ever thought possible.

Three words to keep in mind when it comes to de-cluttering your home, storage. Storage, storage.

Decluttering simply comes down to finding a place for everything, making sure everything is in its proper place and getting rid of what you no longer need. It won’t happen overnight, so now is the time to being making a plan of attack.

First, get each bedroom area organized. Take a day and sort through clothes and toys in the kids’ rooms, and either sell, give away, or throw away what isn’t needed anymore. Get age appropriate storage units, label things and help teach the kids to put their own things away.

Next, get a laundry basket for each family member and start with the least cluttered room of the house, so you’ll see success quicker and stay motivated. Put everything in the baskets that doesn’t belong in that room. Then each person has a deadline to find a home for everything in the basket, or you will (even if it’s file thirteen). Keep a big trash bag nearby for stuff you know needs to be gotten rid of immediately (like junk mail). Do this for each room of the house.

Once everything is in the correct room, evaluate each room and decide what kind of storage is needed to keep things organized. If there is very little clutter left in the room once the personal belongings are gone, then you’ve got less work to do. If the room still looks chaotic, decide if the items really need to be in that room or relocated, stored or sold/given away. If you use the basket trick daily, going from room to room, it should be easy to stay on top of things.

Different rooms have different storage needs, what works in the family room won’t necessarily work in the kitchen. Take your time and research the options out there and find a system that works best for your family.

Organized Kitchen Tips & Ideas

Most families spend a lot of time in their kitchens. In many households the kitchen is really the heart of the home. You definitely want to make this room a relaxing family space but also practical to make family meal times and cooking as stress free as possible.

Here are a few kitchen organizing tips to help get you started:

Organize Your Work Stations – To make cooking easier you want to make sure you have everything you need close at hand. Have an area for preparing the meals. It’s good to keep your spices and seasonings close to this area. You’ll also want to have chopping boards, knives and mixing spoons close at hand. Have another area for serving and keep all your dishes, serving spoons, placemats, and utensils there.

By incorporating work stations into your kitchen and keeping everything you need near each work station, you’ll save a lot of time.

Organize Your Fridge – Clean out your fridge and organize things in categories to make finding them easier when you’re in a rush. It’s a good idea to keep all your dairy products together. Place cold cuts in tightly sealed plastic containers and label them. This will keep them fresh and also make it easier to find. You can do the same thing with cheese and left over foods.

Separate your fruit and salad items from your other vegetables so that you can find them easier. Often times you’ll forget you have those tomatoes in the back drawer and buy more. By keeping things organized you’ll waste and spend less.

Organize Your Pantry – Arrange your pantry or cupboards according to foods. For example keep all your canned goods in one place and cereal in another. Keep the items you use most within easy reach and put away those appliances you never seem to use. They’re just taking up counter top space.

Plan Your Meals – This is by far the easiest way to organize your meal times. Take a few minutes and write out a meal plan and shopping list for the upcoming week. Buy everything in advance and stock up on items you use regularly and have a long shelf life. Then stick your menu on your fridge, glance at it each morning and plan ahead. Thaw any meat that needs thawing or chop and add your items to your crock pot.

A good family-oriented meal planning service to try is Dine Without Whine.