WFMW - Coupon Organization Part 1

I love coupons!  With a little effort, I'm able to save quite a bit... well I don't save any money, I get more food than I would with my food budget otherwise.  With that thought, maybe I need to stop couponing so we have less food in the house so I eat less.  Hmm, have to think on that one.

Thinking is done.  Nope!  Going to keep on couponing!

Finding the coupons I need to match up with a sale could be quite difficult with my coupon stash if they weren't organized.  There are several options for organizing coupons.  One is to immediately cut out the ones you will use and discard the rest.  Another filing system using baseball card organizers in a binder - you cut out ALL the coupons and put them in the binder and take it with you shopping.  Neither of those work for me.  So here's my system.

First, I sort my coupons.  Since I usually have 5-6 sets of each insert (coupon insert sources is another topic), I take each insert and put all identical pages together and staple it.  I go through each stapled group and cut out the coupons I know I'll use and set them aside to put in my coupon pouch that goes to the store with me.

The stapled groups are then filed in a file folder with the date on the tab (in pencil because I reuse the folders over and over).  The file folder is then put in a hanging file with all the other coupon insert files.

Why do I do these steps?

So many of the blogs that I follow will give coupon match ups for items on sale, listing the coupons by date and insert.  For example $1/2 Peter Pan Peanut Butter 8/1 SS (Smart Source).  If I like the final price, I then go to my coupon file and pull out that date. I flip through the stapled groups until I find the peanut butter coupon.  Sometimes, though, that coupon wasn't put in my paper (it's done by regions).  Fortunately, by having them organized by date, I'm not looking through the entire 3 inch stack.  (Yes it's probably that big but no, I haven't measured it.  Okay, okay, now you've got me curious.  I'm getting the ruler....  Well, what do you know?  It was 2 1/2 inches.)

If I'm looking for a coupon on a specific product, there are several free coupon databases out there.  I've used Coupon Mom and I believe Stretching a Buck now has one too.

Hope that gives you an idea for how to organize your coupon stash.  This method definitely works for me!  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - Ice Cream Novelties

I LOVE ice cream!  That's probably an understatement, actually.  I have only had a few instances in my life where I have turned down ice cream (the majority of those times being when the only flavor was coffee/mocha which I won't eat - yuck!).

But I try not to buy ice cream.  Do you know what happens when I have ice cream in my house?  Even if it's not my favorite kind?  I eat it.  Every day.  And I'm not good at following serving sizes - have you ever measured out your ice cream?

This Spring, we discovered boxes of Good Humor ice cream treats at Sam's Club.  And they are working for our family!  I love the ice cream bars and the cones are good too.  My family also loves the ice cream sandwiches and fudge bars.  But what I love even more is that it is proportioned out for me.   No offense to Good Humor, but I'm also able to resist having it every day.  It satisfies my ice cream desire without HAVING to have some.  (Kind of like my love for cheese curls - I just can't resist but I can resist Doritoes - so which do you think I buy?)

Buying ice cream novelties Works for Me.  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family!

WFMW - Credit Card Motivation

Years ago, we paid off all our credit cards and our car (this took years to do).  But we failed to cancel our credit cards, in case we needed them in an emergency.  Then we decided to purchase a van, believing we could afford the payments.  We could but it stretched our budget and we made a few poor decisions that we ended up putting some charges on our credit cards.  A few thousand dollars later, we were feeling the weight that comes with being a slave to the lender.  We got serious about paying off that debt, again.

If you have been trying to pay off credit card debt, you've probably heard about Dave Ramsey's Debt Snowball method.  If you haven't, here's a very quick summary - list your debts from smallest to largest, then tackle the smallest one first (paying minimums on all the rest).  The reason you pay off smallest to largest is for the excitement you feel paying something off - it motivates you to keep going.  If you worked on the largest debt first, it would take longer to get that "reward" so you might lose your momentum.

But what do you do if you have a huge amount you're trying to pay or you are still losing your momentum?  We needed a reality check that second go around of paying off consumer debt.  Do you notice I bolded consumer?  That's because so much of what we, as a country, use our credit cards for is consumed.  Here's what we did...

In addition to smallest to largest, I made a LONG list of all the charges that made up the debt.  So if there was a $1000 balance, I made a list of all the charges on that credit card, working backwards in time so I could see what made up the $1000 (I made interest charges their own item).  Then as we made a payment of $50, I looked at the oldest charge and if the $50 covered it, I marked it off or as many items as the payment covered.  Sometimes that charge was an interest payment.  Sometimes it was an oil change that a vehicle needed.  And sometimes it was a trip to McDonald's 18 months ago!!!!  Isn't that ridiculous?!  We were paying for something we ATE 18 MONTHS AGO!

That was a big reality check for us!  It was also a great motivator.  At that time, I was working part-time from home.  We lived off of my husband's salary and used my variable income to pay off the debt.   If I saw that the next oldest month of charges was $125, I would work really hard to make at least that much of a payment from my next paycheck.  I was paid every two weeks and everything from my checks (after tithing) went to decreasing debt or emergencies.

So check out what you're actually paying when you pay your next credit card payment.  It will probably surprise you what you're paying for - and hopefully motivate you to move forward in getting rid of that credit card and not use it again.

This method definitely Worked for Me for motivation and reality.  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - Piano Practice Tips

Princess1 has been taking piano lessons for almost 18 months. I think she's very talented (yes, I know I'm a little biased) and she could be an outstanding pianist with practice. Practice? Yes, you need to practice and practice regularly. We've gone through spurts of being great about this and times of not so great. Part of it could be a hectic schedule and sometimes it's attitude issues and/or being too tired. Here are tips that we've learned to make practice time a success in our home.

1) Pick a practice time that works with your child's interest/personality.
I did learn this past school year that if Princess1 could get up early enough in the morning, she did really well at the piano in the morning rather than practicing after school. Sadly, this is not an easy accomplishment. But this summer, without having to head off to school before 8 am, we're doing much better with practicing in the morning. Some kids will do better in the afternoon. For next school year, we'll be discussing with Princess1 if she wants to continue practicing in the morning, before school, or we'll pick a time in the afternoon. One option we may look into is practicing at school while we wait the 30 minutes for Princess2 to get out of preschool (they release 30 minutes after the elementary).

2) It's okay to take a break sometimes.
Earlier this summer, we headed on vacation and did not have access to a piano or keyboard. I decided to not take the flash cards with us because I didn't think she'd be willing to drill flash cards on vacation. Turns out this was great for Princess1. She was excited to play the piano when we got back and her brain used the vacation to recognize the notes better.

3) Use a practice chart/reward system.
While on vacation, we met Jenny Oaks Baker, who is a professional violinist. Princess1 was really excited to meet her. I was excited to pick her brain for practice tips since she has 4 kids also learning instruments. Her recommendation was to look into Suzuki's 100 day method. This method involves practicing 100 days in a row (we're using Sundays as a bye each week for the Sabbath but counting it in the 100 days). At the end of successfully completing the chart, Princess1 has chosen a trip to St. Louis as her reward (to visit friends).  If you miss a day (even just one), you start the whole chart over.  We completed Day 10 today!

4) Determine your practice method
Decide if you are going to practice for a set time limit or by task. We tried using a set time amount but too much of that would go into waiting for attitude to dissolve. So now we are doing tasks - Princess1 plays her assigned pieces (1-2 from each of Lesson, Technique, and solo, plus the Sonatina she's learning, hopefully for a festival this fall). She also is required to do 1 page from either the Theory, Practice Games or Notespeller books, or she can review her flash cards. If she completes these 5 things (Lesson, Technique, Solos, Sonatina and non-music), she earns a sticker for her 100 days chart.

5) Be with your child.
Practice time goes so much better when you actively participate in practice time with your child. If you don't know how to read music, you can learn along with your child. Help them keep track of where they are in their song and repeat trouble areas.

6) Allow your child to make some decisions.
Children like to have some control and tend to rebel (or have attitude) when everything is decided for them. This makes sense since Heavenly Father gifted us with our agency to choose. But as parents, we can't allow our children complete autonomy.
From reading Tip #4, you might think Princess1 has no choice in the matter. She has lots of choices.
First, she gets to choose when we practice (yes, I know Tip #1 says to have a set time but sometimes my strong-willed child doesn't agree with the clock). She also gets to choose to have attitude and take a break to finish practicing later, rather than wasting my time.
She also gets to choose what order she does her practice in - what song to practice first or if she wants to do the non-music part first.
And then she gets to choose which of the non-music activities to do (she has decided she loves Notespeller).
Ultimately, she gets to decide whether or not she earns a sticker for practicing each day.

7) Praise.
Let your child know they are doing great.

8) Remind child of progress made.
This really comes in handy for Princess1 when she won't try because the music is hard. I've learned to remind her of different music that she's learned and thought was hard when she first started it. Then I ask her if it's still hard or is it now easy. She usually becomes inspired to try the hard stuff (at least one or two measures of it) and realizes that each time it becomes a little easier.

9) Take it easy.
As I explained above, we have to play each of the assigned pieces of music. Sometimes this is multiple times as we play as a solo or with the accompaniment CD. But as long as we play it once, we're good to go. Because we're practicing every day, she makes lots of progress even if we don't perfect a piece each day.

10) Play known pieces.
Sometimes to get over attitude or just for fun, we pull out pieces we've already "perfected" and play them. This helps with Tip #8 but also lets the piano be simply enjoyable instead of always "work."

These ideas are working for us, hopefully something here will work for you. For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family. Love it!

WFMW - How to wash child's thick hair

I read another blog post this morning from Works for Me Wednesday that inspired me to write this tip.

Princess1 has really thick hair! It's so thick that even when she lays in water and we swish it around, there are sections of hair that are still dry. This makes it really difficult to wash.

Add to this thick hair, Princess1 has Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Fortunately, it's better than when she was a toddler. One of her biggest areas of issue has always been her scalp. She would scream bloody murder whenever I tried to wash her hair when she was little and couldn't stand to have her hair brushed either. It is a little better now - I don't have to pin her to the bathroom counter EVERY day to brush her hair, just once a week. And she is learning to brush her hair herself and do it more often so there are less tangles which pull on her scalp.

So washing her hair has always been difficult.

Now that she's out of the baby/toddler stage, I've been trying different kid shampoos for her but it wasn't until I tried the Suave kids shampoo that I found success. It works great for her hair, without using an entire handful of shampoo to cover her hair.

At a Relief Society getaway weekend in March, I got a tip from a stylist with the dry hair sections. She said that when the hair doesn't suds, it's still dirty and to wash again.

I came home and tried it. It works! One of Princess1's complaints was how long I took to wash her hair and all the scrubbing. Now, we get along great because washing twice takes less time than trying to get all the hair at one time. There's less scrubbing because I'm not trying to get dry areas wet and sudsing on the first try.

So here's what I do...

Wet hair, lifting it up as I pour the water on to try to get all sections wet.
Wash with quarter-size plus amount of shampoo.
Scrub gently
Rinse.
Using a quarter-size amount of shampoo, I wash her hair again.
Scrub gently
Rinse well.

Note the difference in rinsing? Because I know I'm washing a second time, I don't feel the need to spend 5 minutes (slight exaggeration but only slight) trying to get all the shampoo out of her hair the first time.

Also because I know I'm washing a second time, I don't stress about areas that aren't sudsing during the first wash. And generally, there's not a problem the second wash.

And that Works for Me!
For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - Stop a soft taco from opening

Our family LOVES tacos.  Soft tacos and hard tacos.  But my little girls always have a hard time with keeping their taco together.  When you go to a restaurant (fast food or normal), they don't seem to have much problem - but I believe that's because they steam their tortillas fresh which lets them bend easier.  I've tried heating them up in the microwave but that only lasts for so long.  But earlier this year, I came up with a trick that's definitely working for my family.

Sour cream.

That's my trick.

I build the tacos for my daughters, and of course, they HAVE to have sour cream on their taco.  After putting the sour cream on the inside, fold the "bottom" up a little bit so that nothing falls out the end after you roll it.  Then roll the sides in.  On the first fold, place a small dollop of sour cream and then spread it around.  Then place the second fold on top.  The sour cream "glues" the taco together so that when my girls set it down, it doesn't fall apart on them.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We are THAT Family!

WFMW - Clothesline Tips

Two summers ago, it seemed every blog I read was talking about using a clothesline.  I learned a lot, but didn't have a clothesline.  At the end of that summer, a friend came over to visit and I mentioned my desire for a clothesline.  She asked if I had some rope.  I did.  So she immediately grabbed her cub scout son who was with her and the three of us headed outside and strung up a line between my trees.  I started using it but not always.

Then last summer, as soon as school let out, my husband got laid off from work.  Not knowing how long I would need to stretch our funds, it became a necessity to use the clothesline.  I only used the dryer for "privates" or if it was raining.  In the process, I remembered some of those tips I had read the previous summer and learned from experience. 

This last week a friend posted on Facebook "A certain friend of mine will be excited to here that I hung up a clothesline today."  I naturally assumed that friend was me because we had talked about it a few days earlier.  I immediately commented with some tips for her and thought it'd be a perfect Works for Me Wednesday post. 

Here are those tips.

1.  Hang everything loose.  When I first started, I'd hang the clothes tight between the clothespins.  Do you know what that gets you?  Stiff clothes.  They need to be able to blow in the wind and the clothes need to rub against themselves.

2.  Hang pants and shirts by waistline.  There are two reasons I've come up with for this.  First, the larger opening is held "open" by the clothespins so more air gets inside the clothes to help it dry.  Second, if you end up with any clothespin marks, they are hidden more.  Imagine you hung up your shirt by the shoulders and the pinch from the clothespin is visible while you wear the shirt later.

3.  Hang towels and sheets folded in half, with fold toward ground.  This creates an opening at the top to let air in and the halves rub against each other - the friction decreases stiffness.

4.  Snap clothes before pinning up.  I'm not exactly sure what this does - I'm assuming it gets out a little more water but if I don't snap, the clothes tend to be stiffer.

5.  If out of pins, hang panties with other clothes.  This one is a silly tip.  But if you're run out of room on your line or out of clothespins, you can hang panties by hooking the legholes over a clothespin already in use.

6.  If concerned about fading in the sun, hang inside out.

7.  If too stiff, put in dryer for 15 minutes.  Sometimes, items just get stiff (especially queen size blankets that I can't snap before putting on the clothesline on days when there is little wind).  When this happens, I simply throw the item in the dryer for 15 minutes to soften it up.  It's okay because I'm running the dryer less than I would to completely dry the item.

The benefits I've had from using my clothesline are many.  First, I use less electricity so my utility bill is lower.  Next, I'm not heating up my house from the clothes dryer so I'm using less air conditioning to counter that heat, so my utility bill is lower.  I'm not an outside person and this gets me outside for short periods of time (so I don't become overheated) and I get sunshine.  I also get more exercise from walking the clothesline and pinning than I would from tossing the clothes in the dryer (every calorie counts, right?).  My sheets smell wonderful.  I think the towels are more absorbent (but that only lasts for 1 or 2 uses).  Also, my clothes/sheets/towels have no static cling!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out We Are THAT Family!

WFMW - Scheduling Posts

For those who haven't played around with the Post Options on blogger, I'm here to encourage you to use it!  It has really helped my posting.  I've had SO many times when I've found something that works for me and think "I need to post that for Works for Me Wednesday!".  But then by the time Wednesday rolls around, I'm either super busy or I can't remember what the tip was.  I'd heard others mention writing a post in advance but I didn't know how to do it.  I figured it out a few months ago and it really Works for Me!

So here are the steps....

Click Post Options at the bottom of your draft post.  It will open up some options for you.

If you are using the updated version, in the expanded area, on the right, you'll see "Post date and time" with the options of "Automatic" and :Scheduled at". 

Click Scheduled At and then set the date that you want it to publish, even the time.

Then click "Publish Post".

If you are using the older version of blogger, when you click Post Options, you'll see a post date - just change it to be the date you want it to publish your post.

Note:  When I was figuring out how to do this, I tried using Help because I wasn't always successful.  The Help section said they were trying to figure out why it didn't work for everyone.  Not helpful at all.  But then I realized the truth.  If you click Publish Post before changing your Post Options, you can NOT go in and then change the date and have it unpublish your post and save it for the future.  As long as I set the Schedule at date BEFORE I click Publish Post, it always works for me.

Writing the posts as soon as the idea hits me definitely Works for Me!  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family!

WFMW - Works for Me Wednesday

Today's tip for Works for Me Wednesday is to participate in Works for Me Wednesday!

Does that seem silly?  As I was writing last week's post, I realized that by participating in this each (or almost each) week, I am focused on the positive things in my life, things that are working and not where I need to improve.  For the areas I need to improve, I browse through everyone else's tips for ideas.

I find that as I go through my week, I am always on the lookout for those things that DO work for me.  My poor husband and mom get lots of comments like "Oh!  I need to remember to post this on Wednesday!"  And now I simply go ahead and type the post and schedule it (how to do that will be next week's WFMW post).

So look for those things in your life that are working and share them with the rest of us!

For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We are THAT Family!

WFMW - A Wonderful Mother's Day

I had my best Mother's Day this week!  Part of it is due to attitude compared to previous years and part of it was due to prep work.

To explain attitude - as an adult, I've struggled with mother's day.  When I was single and living away from my Mom, it didn't mean much.  Once we started trying to have kids, unsuccessfully, it was a miserable day, more so when attending church.  So much focus on mothers makes it hard when you don't have children and want them.  Thankfully I've noticed that the church has started placing more of an emphasis on women, not specifically those with children, over the past few mother's days.  I also never liked it when they asked all the mothers to stand and then they'd hand out the mothers day goodies.  I was uncomfortable standing up when I wasn't a "mother".

Then Mother's Day at home wasn't great either.  Sometimes my husband forgot.  Or he'd try to make me a meal, but he'd make it the way he likes it, not the way I like it.  As Princess1 has gotten older, she definitely makes Mother's Day important and doesn't let ANYONE forget that it's coming.  As a result, Love doesn't forget anymore.  The presents have also gotten better over the years - Love still struggles at Christmas and birthdays to think of something for me but he's doing really well for Mother's Day (he must pay attention more for Mother's Day).  Sometimes he thinks I'm really weird for what I ask for - a shower head (the one that you can hold and move around, plus has the different streams), an undercounter radio/cd player for the kitchen, etc.  But both of those presents really made my everyday life more enjoyable and for me that's more important than flowers that die 2 weeks later (although I do like flowers too).

This year's present - a hammock for our back yard.   I've wanted one for years and now I have one.  Love and the princesses took me to Lowe's on Saturday (NEVER go to Lowe's on a Saturday and definitely NOT on the Saturday before Mother's Day).  We were going to get peat moss.  But they took me to pick out a hammock first.  We came home and set it up.  So of course, Sunday we were gone all day and then it was to rain on Monday so the hammock had to come down.  Now I need to set it back up again (Love was told to take it down before it rains to help it last longer).

So why is all this a Works for Me Wednesday tip?  Because what I did this year to make my Mother's Day great was to plan my own menu.  Love asked a week ago what I wanted for breakfast on Mother's Day - cinnamon rolls and strawberries.  I had Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls in the freezer - easy, YUMMY.  So I bought strawberries on Friday.  We would be having dinner with my mom, grandmother, sister (and family) and sister-in-law (and family).  I offered to make lasagna (using the cottage cheese I got for cheap, cheap).  So I made lasagna (recipe coming soon) and homemade italian herb bread on Saturday.  This was in addition to working on building our garden.  I also set out the cinnamon rolls to defrost and rise when I went to bed.  Saturday was crazy and exhausting.  But it was SO worth it on Sunday.  Saturday night, my sister stopped by and took the lasagna (layered but not cooked) to Mom's with her.

Sunday morning, my husband just had to put the rolls in the oven and cut up the strawberries.  It was delicious!  Easy!  Low stress for everyone!  And off to church we went.

After church, we picked up Nana (my grandmother) and drove out to the farm to meet everyone.  Mom and my sister put the lasagna in the oven and it had just finished cooking when we arrived.  I threw my bread in the microwave to heat it up.  Mom and my sister had made a salad and my sister-in-law bought some cake and cheesecake.  I had also brought some ice cream.  Again it was delicious!  (I LOVE LOVE LOVE my lasagna.)  It was easy!  And we had a great time visiting and no one spent a whole bunch of time in the kitchen (although Mom did do the dishes - but that would be worth it if you didn't have to do the cooking).

So my Works for Me Wednesday tip, if you can remember it for next year, make your own meal ahead of time and let your husband or family heat it up for you.  Then you relax.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, head to We are THAT Family!

WFMW - Good, Better, Best

A few years ago, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a conference talk entitled "Good, Better, Best".  This talk really has changed my life and I use the principle he taught CONSTANTLY.  It applies to everything in our lives.  How we spend our time, what items we have in our home, what we purchase, what we eat.  Everything.

I'm in the process of purging our home and we're using this principle again.  I want simple.  I want less stuff so that I can take care of the stuff we have.  I don't want to settle for the Good - I want the Better and the Best.

I started this process with my daughters' room.  We pulled out all the toys, all the books, all the stuffed animals and will be pulling out all the clothes.  Books and stuffed animals were easy - We laid out the books ALL over the living room.  I had no idea how many books we had!  Then I had each girl pick their favorite 5 books.  And we repeated that until they had each picked 20 books.  I had them look at the remaining books - "Are there any books that you are going to be broken hearted over more than the ones you have in your keep pile?"  Princess1 swapped out 1 or 2 books.  Princess2 had to have some help with swapping out some books that we wanted to keep for ones that we didn't feel were the Better or the Best (sorry Dora books).

I put away the books we decided to keep - about 100.  And then I laid out the remaining books all over my couch and took pictures.  They were then posted on Craigslist to sell them.  My husband and I picked $20 to sell them.  He wasn't confident we could do that.  But then I counted the books as I put them into boxes - just over 100 books!  So I made sure the Craigslist ad said there were 100 books - so 20 cents per book.  I had SO many responses to this post.  But the more important part - we are moving closer to the Better and Best and simplifying our home and lives.

Interestingly - the girls have 1/2 the books they used to have and are reading MORE!

We did the same thing with the stuffed animals.  When I gathered them all up, I had 2+ large garbage sacks full of stuffed animals.  The girls picked their favorites - about 5 "large" and 3-4 "small" stuffed animals.  It's just enough that will fit in a single file across the foot of their beds.  The rest?  I recently heard that the local Juvenile courts will accept stuffed animal donations to give to children who have to go through the courts.  We experienced this ourselves when our adoptions were finalized and the girls loved receiving their animals.  So I suggested this to our family and the answer was a resounding "Yes!".  Now I just need to call the Court and find out when I can bring them the stuffed animals.

Why is this working when previous attempts to clean out didn't?  1) The girls are involved in picking the Better and Best items to keep.  2)  I've asked the girls if they like cleaning up everything that gets scattered all over their room.   Their answer is no.  So let's have less stuff that we need to clean up - their response "Okay!"  3) The items we're not keeping are leaving our home quickly and are not given the chance to make it back into circulation.

So I have been successful with the books and stuffed animals.  Toys are still making it out of the box where they are being stashed.  The problem with them is I'm trying to find all the pieces/parts for the girls to be able to pick their favorites and then to either sell or donate the remaining.  Guess I better get the remaining rooms done to find those parts.  And do it now!

This process is working for Me!  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We Are THAT Family!

WFMW - ER Bag

A few years ago, my grandmother had a stroke.  She called me after she had called the ambulance, at about 7 am.  Having worked in a hospital for many years, I'd heard many stories about long waits in the ER Waiting Room.  So as I threw on my clothes, I also grabbed my current project and I headed out the door.

Once we were in the ER, we were actually seen by the doctor immediately.  But after they ran some tests, we had to wait for results.  After being told she was being admitted, we waited some more for a bed to be ready upstairs for her.

A few weeks later, back at home, my grandmother once again called the ambulance and then me.  I again grabbed my project and put on clothes (she really likes calling the ambulance at 6:30 in the morning).  This time I also grabbed a water bottle and snacks.  She'd had a heart attack.  After a few repeats of this, I had what to grab down pat.  I also learned the items that I needed to grab for Nana.  If you didn't know, many times once the EMTs have put their patient into the ambulance, they start some basic care before driving to the hospital.  In my experiences with Nana, this took 10-15 minutes.  This also allows time for putting together your bag or gathering items for the patient.

This past December, my Mom called and said the ambulance was on its way to her house to pick up my Dad.  Knowing she had a few minutes and there wasn't anything she needed to be doing for Dad, I encouraged her to put together some items for her at the hospital - a project, a book, snacks, etc.  She hadn't thought about that; she'd was focused on my dad.

Since Mom found my thoughts helpful, I decided to share them as my Works for Me Wednesday tip this week.

Here are items to grab for yourself:

• project to do (knitting, crochet - something that is easy to grab and doesn't require space to spread out your stuff)
• book to read/crossword puzzles/sudoku
• water bottle
• snacks
• cash (to purchase food in the cafeteria or vending machines)
• cell phone (check your charge- you may want to grab your charger too)
• or address book with phone numbers if you don't have a cell phone with the numbers saved
• calling card

Here are items to grab for the patient (many of these are for if you think they'll be admitted):

• project (If I'm the patient, I generally bring a project; but this will depend on the condition of the patient)
• a book to read/crossword puzzles/sudoku/toys (especially important if patient is a child)
• family picture (if it looks like they'll be admitted, this can bring a little bit of home to their room)
• wallet with ID, insurance information
• a change of clothes, including underwear, socks and shoes (Nana always seemed to go to the hospital in her pajamas)
• toothbrush (when admitted, this will be provided by the hospital, but the patient may really wish for their own)
• hairbrush
• If they are an 80/90 year old female, you better grab the basic makeup supplies (for Nana, this was always more important than anything else except clothes)
• keys (especially if you don't live with the patient, you don't want them to be released and have no way to get into their home).

I know that if you are heading to the ER, you're not likely to look up my blog to find this post.  But I'm hoping that some of these ideas will stick with you if you find yourself in the situation of preparing to head to the ER.  They definitely Work for Me!  For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out We are THAT Family!

WFMW - Parking Backwards

For the past few years, we've had season tickets for our local Symphony Orchestra.  When we would arrive in the parking garage, we noticed a lot of people parking backwards in the parking spots.  Hmm.  Then we decided to try it.  Wow!  We could get out of our parking spot so much faster because others leaving were more willing to let us in the line and when they weren't, we can nudge forward into the line much easier.  So now we park this way any time we can when we go to an event.

When school started this year, Princess1 changed schools.  With the new school, it is very easy to park in the school's lot and walk up to the door to pick her up.  One day I decided to try parking backwards at the school.  It worked!  I can pull out so much easier and the traffic is lighter when I'm trying to park than when I'm trying to leave.  The biggest reason I do this now - safety!  By being parked backwards, I can pull out and clearly see where all the other kids are at as they make their way to their vehicles.  No more blind spots!

This works for me!  For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out We are THAT Family.

WFMW - Reusing School Papers

I don't know about other schools but Princess1 is in 1st Grade and brings home a TON of papers.  This includes her artwork, others homework assignments, papers she started to write a story on but only wrote one word, flyers, newsletters, etc.  I was feeling guilty about throwing so much paper away.  And then I realized that I could reuse some and recycle some (and of course save those most precious ones).  How do I reuse them?  If the paper is 8 1/2 x 11 and in decent condition (not folded, wrinkled, torn, etc), and is only printed on one side, I put it in my printer to print coupons!  Coupons only need 1 side to be printed on and the clerks at the grocery store don't care what's on the reverse side as long as the barcode is readable.

That works for me.  I feel less guilty because I'm not just throwing everything away and I'm saving money in two ways - not buying as much paper AND using coupons.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out We are THAT Family.

WFMW - Sore Throat Remedy

As I was growing up, any time we got a sore throat, this was the remedy we used. Once I was out on my own, I remember the first time I thought to use the remedy. I was working at a large medical group practice in Florida. I knew I didn't have the remedy at home so I headed over to the orthopedic department (I was friends with one of the doctors and several of the nurses) to see if they had some. They did. BUT, they were astonished with what I wanted to do with it. I assured them I would be fine and they finally relented and let me use some of the item. The next day, I was back at work without any sign of a sore throat. They were amazed. I wonder if any of them ever thought to use it themselves.

Once I got married, it was time I bought some of this magic cure. My husband, like those nurses, was skeptical the first time he saw me use it. But now, after almost 15 years of marriage, it's his first thought when his throat gets scratchy. And he was most disappointed the other day to discover we didn't have any - I had cleaned out the medicine cabinet and thrown it away because it was expired.

So what is this magic sore throat remedy? Betadine!

The other day I saw on the internet that it used to be an accepted treatment at home but is one of those that people don't know about any more.

Directions - fill a bathroom cup (8 oz) with warm water. Add about 4 drops of betadine and swirl. Then gargle with this warm solution and spit it out into your sink. Do NOT swallow! Repeat as needed.

I generally do not use the whole cup unless my throat is already really sore. If I do this at the first hint of a scratchy throat, I generally don't get a sore throat. I use warm water because it is more soothing to a scratchy throat than cold water. And I make sure to rinse my cup thoroughly after I'm done.

Betadine is normally with the first aid supplies at your local discount store. The 8 oz bottle I bought last week (to replace the one I threw away) was around $11. But it lasts for years, or until it expires. You can also use it on cuts.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, click here.

WFMW - Niece/Nephew Birthdays

We have 20 nieces, nephews, step-nieces and step-nephews. I feel it's important for each of them to know that they are remembered and loved. I'm also on a quest to be the favorite aunt :)

When we first started having nieces and nephews, we didn't have children and both of us were working. So we were able to spend a little more on their birthdays and Christmas. But over the years, the numbers to buy for have grown and I stopped working outside of the home. Now that we are up to 20 (!) and have 2 of our own children, we were finding it very expensive to buy presents and ship them.

For several years, my husband's side of the family would gather in the summer. I would work hard before that gathering and send each family home with their Christmas presents during this gathering. Because the birthdays were all fall/winter birthdays, I would also get their birthday presents ready and send with them too. But as the kids get into school and money has gotten tighter, not everyone is coming every summer. Plus this last year, my life was so crazy I didn't get everything ready in time for those who did come to visit. So we had to come up with a new plan.

The plan - Generally, I have spent $5 - $10 on each niece/nephew (includes the steps) for each event. The exception is when they turn 8, I spend a little more because I make them a crocheted afghan. Love's job pays him twice each month so 24 times each year. With 20 nieces and nephews, we've added a birthdays budget. Each payday, I set aside a $5 bill into an envelope. Then when a birthday approaches, I go to Dollar General and buy a birthday card (I try to buy for the next month, not just the next birthday). I add a $5 bill, address the envelope and get it mailed.

I'm not perfect at sending the cards on time but getting better. Teenagers may not be happy at only getting $5 but it's more than $0 :) And it's what I can afford. Now my kids have 7 aunts and uncles so if even only half of them sent them $5, they'd be able go buy something very nice. Not that we expect others to follow our example and we've taught our daughters to not EXPECT any presents and to be THANKFUL for any and all presents they receive.

This $5 budget for birthdays Works for Me. Now I just have to figure out a less expensive way to send Christmas presents.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, join me at We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - Seat Belt Drills

This past weekend, I took the girls and headed out of town to visit friends. While out and about, someone was having trouble buckling up. I made a comment to my friend about seat belt drills and she said What? I decided then that was my topic for today's Works for Me Wednesday!

A few weeks ago, I got really frustrated at Princess1. She would get into the van first and go towards her seat. I would then put Princess2 in her harness car seat and climb out of the back of the van to get into my seat, buckle up and turn on the van. Then before driving, I would check to see if Princess1 was buckled. No. Many times. Finally I threatened that if she couldn't get her seat belt on in the time it took me to get Princess2 in her seat and me into mine we would do seat belt drills.

She didn't take me seriously. The next day we were leaving Princess1's piano lesson. But she didn't get her seat belt on. So I turned off the van and climbed out. I undid Princess2's harness and sent both girls back to the entrance to the piano studio and we started all over again. I promised them that if Princess1 couldn't get her seat belt on before I was done with Princess2's harness, we would be doing it again.

Wow! Princess1 really does know how to buckle a seat belt. And now she can do it quickly. We haven't had to do another seat belt drill, but we've had to be reminded a few times as an encouragement.

So seat belt drills work for me! Maybe they'll work for you.

WFMW - Disinfecting the House/Don't share germs

Updated: I keep updating this list as more tips come to mind or someone shares some.

With all the flu variations going around and schools closing, I have been pondering disinfecting my house. I've had friends make the comment for years when a little one was sick "I've just finished disinfecting my house". This past week I've been asking what that means to several friends. I thought I'd share their tips and mine on disinfecting the house and preventing the sharing of germs - even though I don't do all of them but I think about it.

1. Use a Clorox wipe to wipe all lightswitches and doorknobs. Also wipe telephones, remotes, Wii remotes, television buttons, front of VCR, etc. More things to wipe down - refrigerator handles, oven door handle, microwave buttons, faucet handles, cabinet handles, toilet handle, thermostat. Do this at least every other day.

2. Wash hand towels every day; give each person their own hand towel.

3. Replace hand towels in bathroom with paper towels.

4. Replace toothbrush/toothbrush head after illness; or run through dishwasher to disinfect.

5. Change clothes and wash hands immediately after getting home from school or event with lots of other people.

6. Wash pillowcases several times a week and immediately after being ill; wash sheets once a week and immediately after illness.

7. Spray all surfaces with Lysol every other day if not ill, every day if ill.

8. Wipe down hard surfaces with Clorox wipes every other day if not ill, every day if ill.

9. Spray Oust for 10 seconds in each room every other day if not ill, every day if ill.

10. Don't share drinks with others.

11. Cough/sneeze into inside of elbow or into kleenex; throw kleenex away instead of piling beside bed (I personally NEVER do this :) ); wash hands after sneezing or coughing.

12. Wash hands often.

13. Don't touch face.

14. Don't forget to wipe down the computer keyboard and mouse plus lamp switches.

15. Give each kid their own tube of toothpaste instead of sharing.

Do you have any additional tips/suggestions to add to this list?

For other tips today, enjoy Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family!

WFMW - Whose is Who's

I apologize for any grammatical error in my title - especially to my mom. I'm tired and I just don't want to think about it any more. And so that I don't have to remember to do this post on Wednesday, I'm doing my Works for Me Wednesday post today.

So for my tip this week, it's primarily about towels.

My daughters share a bathroom and, within the bathroom, a towel rod. They both love Princess and TinkerBell so they have Princess and Tinkerbell towels. For the longest time, I could never remember who's towel I hung up on which side of the towel rod. Finally, I came up with this idea. Princess1 is left-handed and Princess2 is right-handed. So, Princess1's towel gets hung on the left side of the bar and Princess2's towel is on the right side. Now I never have to remember who gets Princess this week and which one has Tink, or if they are both using the same style.

This tip may not work if your kids have the same hand preference, but it Works for Me!

WFMW - Earning Privileges

I love reading blogs. Some I read to find out about deals to help me save money. Some I read to share in other people's lives. And some I read to help me improve myself and my family. One of my favorite blogs combines the middle and last reasons for reading... The Lazy Organizer. I enjoy Lara's sense of humor and have especially appreciated her sharing of adventures in improving her parenting. One post really caught my attention at the right time in our life here...Follow the Dream. I'll let you read Lara's approach yourself. But here's how we modified it for Princess1, and somewhat Princess2 who wouldn't be left out.

Originally, my plan was to use the notebook approach that Lara uses. Handwriting is hard for Princess1 and I thought this would be a good way for her to practice without a "sit down, time to practice" event. But quickly we realized it wouldn't work. And I stumbled across another blog who did something similar but used craft sticks (sorry, I didn't pay attention to which blog it was but I thank you for your post whoever you are).

So I bought a set of colored craft sticks (I thought colors would be more appealing to the girls and therefore they'd be more cooperative). I took some gold paint and put it in an old applesauce tub (I save these for everything - which I guess could be a WFMW post in the future). I then dipped the sticks in the paint and hung them from a string with clothespins to dry. I then used a sharpie to write a chore/task on each one. Coming up with the list of chores/tasks was quite the effort because Love and I had to agree. I wanted to give Princess1 a point for playing/spending time with Princess2. But Love thought that Princess1 might fight being "forced" to play with Princess2.

So we compromised and created "CTR Points". This is the BEST part of our program. Anytime we spot Princess1 choosing the right (CTR), we will spontaneously give her a CTR point. This is often for playing with Princess2. It can also be used for an overall attitude or immediately responding when we call her or ask her to do something. It is also used for abnormal tasks that we need her to do.

By earning points each day, Princess1 earns privileges. If she earns 4 points, she earns tv/computer/wii privileges. If she earns 6 points, she can invite a friend over or go play at a friend's house. If she earns 8 points, she can have a sleepover. We started this this summer when sleepovers could happen during the week. But since school has started, we've yet to earn 8 points in a day but we need to have some alternative special privilege for when it's during the week.

Eventually, I cleaned out some peanut butter jars, wrapped it in scrapbook paper and put their names on their jars (thanks to my neighbor who has a cricut machine). The girls were both very excited to have nice looking containers for their points.

We've been using the point system since the beginning of summer. Some days Princess1 is enthusiastic about earning points. Other days she decides she'd rather not watch tv.

What earns a point:

Make your bed

Get ready for the day (get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth and hair, hearing aid, glasses)

Schoolwork

Practice Piano

Water garden

10 minutes of cleaning in your room

10 minute clean of the living room (generally as a family)

Set table for dinner (or other meal)

Help cleanup dinner

I believe all of these chores/tasks are appropriate for her age and abilities. And none of them take a huge amount of time (note that she only has to work on her room for 10 minutes, not until it's spotless).

What I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE is that I'm not taking anything away from her, ever. She has to earn her privileges. This is a more positive approach than a punishment for not cleaning her room. And because she gets to choose which ones she does to earn points, she has even more control over her day.

We tried this where she earns the points on the same day as privileges - so if she earned 6 points, she immediately called a friend to play. But with school, we discovered that by the time she finished earning her 6 points, it was too close to dinner time to go play with someone. So we switched it to earning your points for the next day. Princess2 doesn't like this and feels her motivation to earn 6 points is gone, except on those days where she has the privilege of playing with a friend. So it's still a work in progress - but the point system definitely Works for Me! Click here for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!