Laundry Help

They wanted to help ... so I let them handle it. Team work!

Sunday Times

(I love pictures like these. They're pretty much my favorite.)

Sunday is a very busy day in our house. Chris is up and out quite early to get to church. He leads worship for all 3 morning services at Oasis. The kids and I spend some quality time together before we head off to church, too. This morning we had a special breakfast, Pumpkin French Toast. I made up this new recipe (although I am sure it is out there somewhere already... because its not that complicated.) The kids loved to help. They cut the bread with our pumpkin cookie cutter. And then gobbled it up and headed off to play.

Because Sundays are also tiring, I like start preparing lunch/dinner in the morning. So, after cleaning up breakfast, I put something in the crock pot.

Church was awesome. I always love the music. Today I kept the kids with me for some of the music instead of taking them directly to their classes. MH always loves seeing Daddy up on stage. She always yells a huge "There's Daddy! Hi Daddy!" and waves. Luckily, the music is loud and the crowd is not disturbed! Avery and MH love the music, too, and they love hearing their daddy sing. Avery was experimenting with trying to clap to the beat today. He doesn't have it yet, but he's trying. I was glad to see that he was getting into it. It was pretty cute.

We are going to get ready for our small group tonight. That means the house is going to be extra clean! A benefit of a small house is that there are not many hiding places for "stuff." That can also be a bad thing when we are feeling lazy. However, we'll accept that blessing in disguise and clean, clean, clean! Those of you who know me well know that I can have somewhat of a cleaning problem. I always want to clean, and I want it to stay that way. This is an unrealistic expectation. Our preschool and toddler tornadoes are great at undoing everything we have just done. Sigh. I work hard at accepting this new normal. But this afternoon, its a family effort. We will all be cleaning. I will probably cry tears of joy at that beautiful sight.

GROCERIES + MEALS = SAVING MONEY ?????

I have recently been introduced to two websites that have helped TREMENDOUSLY in my grocery budget and meal making. True story: I went to the grocery store to buy the items on my list. I paid $30.00 and I saved $40.00. That means I actually saved more than I spent!!!! On another visit I paid $100 and I saved $70. Yes, it was awesome. Because I have had such repeated success, I wanted to pass on these resources on to you.

The first site, The Grocery Game, is actually not a game. Ha ha. But, you will feel like you have won something... as evidenced by my grocery receipt that I flaunt like a trophy. (I have circled the "SAVINGS = $40" portion and display it proudly).

It is a stockpiling plan. By stockpiling items you need, you won't overpay (translation: paying full price). Click here to read more about "stockpiling" versus "need" shopping. This is how they describe it:

When you play, you'll get a weekly list of the lowest-priced
products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.

Its color coded for the cheapest products. All you do is follow the list and shop to stock your pantry. What do you need to "play"? Coupons from Sunday's paper and the list from thegrocerygame.com.

Investment? The subscription is only $1.25 per week. I have saved sooooo much by using this service. It is more than worth it! You can give it a whirl for only $1 for 4 weeks. Its a special trial run... YOU WILL LOVE IT!

If you decide to sign up, remember to put me as your reference!mailto:reference!emilyg.hughes@gmail.com

E-Mealz is a service that provides a weekly meal plan for your family, according to the grocery store you shop in, their current sales, and YOUR BUDGET! When you subscribe for $1.25 a week, you receive a grocery list for meals for a week, AND the recipes to make these simple meals. I have not yet tried this, so I don't have a testimony to share. BUT, I have heard this is a great tool.... I am intrigued!

BooHooHoo

This is very sad. We can't find our camera. It has been lost for several weeks. Our greatest fear is that Mary Hannah may have put it in the garbage can. She has been enjoying doing that with random objects. I am hoping that it will pop up somewhere. Or maybe if it has run away like a family pet in search of freedom, it will find its way back home and greet us on our doorstep. One can only hope! We are still looking, but I'm pretty sure we'll stop short of posting signs around town.

Lost: Beloved Family Camera
Silver
Goes by the name "Flash"
Very friendly. Loves Children.
If found, please return to the Hughes fam!

Crash in the Night

Three nights ago our closet came crashing down. This begs me to ask, "Why do closets always fall at night?" I certainly do not know the answer, but I know that ours crashed down, taking with it the hopes of reattaching our overloaded racks. We had a solution. A drastic one.... a closet make over. No more midnight crashes! No more overloaded clothing racks. Something stylish and sleek, clean and crisp. This means Chris designed it. We went to IKEA and found just the right pieces. When we returned home, we unleashed all fury on our "stuff." No more clutter. This can sometimes be hard for me. Chris is chucking things as I stare at a dusty picture frame that, over time, has bonded with the picture inside which can no londer be removed without tearing away the paper backing from the high gloss photo that is stuck to the glass. I think, hmmm "This is such a nice frame... and my brother is moving into a new house. Maybe he would ..." POP! My thought bubble is burst with a piercing look from Chris. No words necessary, the frame is garbage. Now our closet looks great. Goodwill is fully stocked. And we are so glad to have reclaimed our space from the stuff monster. The pics are of a couple IKEA pieces that helped us out.

Oh How We Need This!

Golf ball sized rain drops are pouring from the sky. And Oh how we need this! Our lawn is the color of hay. Its beautiful summer green has been bleached by the scorching sun, appearing a dried golden yellow as if it was the dead of winter. It has been one hot sunny May for us in South Florida. Temps have been in the 90s already! I can't imagine what July and August will bring! We have been in a drought for some time now. That was actually good for the Hughes fam as we had a terribly leaky roof. Praise God that has been fixed. So now when I hear those thunder clouds roll I say "Bring on the Rain!" (and oh yeah, "Test the Roof before the warranty expires!").

EM

Clean House

If you want a clean home, clean it. Little by little, step by step. No room for laziness.
Here are some of my tips to make cleaning easier and faster. Hopefully they'll help you, too.

• If you take something out, put it back when you're done.
• Do the dishes before they pile up. Just wash 'em. Its really not hard. Maybe annoying, but not hard! This helps starve the nasty night crawlers that like to feast on your leftovers.
• Use an anti-bacterial spray to clean your countertops. After washing dishes, just give it a once-over. Spray the sink, too. It gets rid of all kinds of germs to regularly clean these areas. Clorox Anywhere Spray is great! No rinsing needed. Very easy.
• Allow the kids' toys to be out, messy, and accessible. Just don't let the toys to be strewn about the house. Keep them in one room. Every so often "reset" by putting them all back in their places.
• Vacuum often. It makes the rest of the house feel clean. If you don't have time for the whole house, just do one or two rooms.
• Want to freshen the air? Use a scent tablet for vacuum bags. They really work. They leave a very fresh scent, and they even cover up the nasty pet hair smell that used to waft out of my vacuum. Also, get an Airwick Freshmatic. Battery operated, automatic, set it up on a shelf and forget about it. It sprays a freshener every half hour or so.
• Use the Swiffer! Wet mop the hard floor at night after the kids go to sleep. It gets up the daily dirt and crumbs. Keeps the floor clean for the kids who love to roll around while playing. Added bonus, it makes shiny floors in between the hard core mopping. Buy the refills at Sams club. Big savings. (More to come about Big Savings at a later date)
• Have a laundry problem? Downsize to only ONE large laundry basket. When its full, its time to do laundry. One load every couple days is much more manageable than tackling the 72 hour laundry monster.
• Make your bed. It just looks nice. And it sets the tone of the whole room. If your bed is made, your room automatically looks better. And really, how long does it take? 2-3 minutes? Not a bad makeover.
• Dust. Just do it. Use the inside of the T-shirt your husband wore to bed, or the used bath towel that is just a bit damp. Pick it up off the floor, run it along the dresser, throw it in the laundry basket. Hey, its gonna be washed anyway! Two birds with one stone... done!
• For heaven's sake, clean your bathroom! It is actually my favorite place to clean. Strange? No. Its the smallest, fastest, and easiest! Scrubbing Bubbles for the shower. It can even do the sink and countertops. Spray and wipe or walk away. Lysol in the toilet. Give it a whirl. Windex the mirror. Swiffer the floor. DONE! This takes me roughly 5 minutes.
• (HELPFUL TIP: Fill a basket with these cleaning products, add a roll of paper towels. Now you have your bathroom cleaning kit. Store it in your linen closet or somewhere close to the bathroom. Even under the sink, if you don't have children who could get into the chemicals. If you have everything in one easy basket, you will be more likely to grab it and do a quick clean.)