Organized Mom

I admit it. I'm a list-maker. I think I may be a little OCD when it comes to making lists. My husband makes fun of how many lists I have. I make lists for groceries, things to organize, how to lose weight, activities for my toddler, etc, etc, etc! The problem was, I was making lists on random pieces of paper, notebooks, and sticky pads.

My solution: a whole binder for my lists! I call it my Organized Mom Binder. :)

I have 5 tabs: GOALS, CURRENT WEEK (calendar), SELF, FAMILY, AND HOME.

I think most of the lists I make fall in one of these categories.

I made a "Week at a Glance" page where I have my week layed out in front of me. It includes my exercise schedule, menu, cleaning checklist, to-do list, and other fun stuff:)

This is before I've added anything extra. You may notice I've scheduled time to blog. I do that so I blog/look at blogs every other day. I've wasted many an hour filming through blogs. Its so addicting.

Here's my monthly review sheet. I look at the goals and tasks I completed and didn't complete and what I can do to be better.
Have you heard of 5 Dinners in 1 Hour? Oh my gosh its awesome. You set aside an hour per week to prep your dinners for the next 5 days! I've only done one week so far but I love it! The menu is balanced, healthy, and delicious! Plus your grocery list is already made for you! Easy!This is so helpful when you don't feel like cooking too (not like I ever feel that way).

The other tabs I keep my lists and ideas in. I feel my life is more organized all ready.

PS - All of these pages I made in Microsoft Word and literally took me half an hour.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Inspiration: Car Party

I'm still in denial that my little man will be 2 in a couple of months. I started searching the blogosphere for party inspiration and immediately came up with a theme: cars. Perfect since my toddler LOVES them.

This first party is from Homemade By Jill. Her son turned 2 and I think his party turned out so so adorable.

Here are the invites:

I absolutely love the car crayons and track. I would love to make the shirt too.

And here's the party favor bag. Gah - I can't get over how cute these are!


This is a party from One Charming Party. As you can see I'm loving the red, white, and blue combo.

I'm hoping for a nice spring day, even though weather here is always unpredictable. I was also hoping to hold the party at a park. That means I'd have to transport everything.

I'll keep you updated on the progess

Happy Valentine's Day

Recipe - Creamy Chicken Noodle

This is one of my absolute favorite soups for lingering, cold winter days.
You won't regret trying it!

CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 qt + 1 cup chicken broth or stock

4 oz egg noodles

1/2 c butter (I used 1/4 cup and it was fine)

3/4 c onion, chopped

3/4 c celery, chopped

3/4 c carrots, chopped

2 T flour

1 qt milk, warmed

1/2 cups chicken, cooked and diced

1 can cream of chicken

1 tsp parsley

Add salt and pepper to chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Cook until tender. In a different pan, add butter, 1 cup chicken broth and vegetables. Cook until veggies are tender. Add flour to veggie mixture and stir until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes on low. Add flour mixture to noodles and broth. Add chicken and cream of chicken. Cook until thick, stir occassionally. Salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Best served with rolls. :)

Did I mention its kid-friendly? That's saying something because this toddler is becoming very picky these days.

January Morning

Valentine Decor

Hey guys. I have been searching blogs everywhere for inspiration. Not just crafts, but organization, cleaning, parenting, exercising, etc. Look on my sidebar for a lot of the sites. Sometimes I need a swift kick in the pants. Hmm, as I sit here in PJs and munch on chocolate cinnamon bears (THE best treat ever). I'm working on it! Anyway, I found some great, easy crafts to do for Valentine's Day. It was a perfect way to be productive while watching my guilty pleasure shows.

I found the great idea for felt kissing balls and wreath from The Idea Door, who apparently got her idea from Design Sponge. I, for the life of me, could not find a heart shaped wreath anywhere, so another round one will have to do.

Did I mention its a cheap project too?

Felt, wreath, pins, pack of 6 styrofoam balls = $10

My lovely "mantel".

I love how versatile these balls are. You can hang them, put them on vases and candle holders, put them in baskets, pretty much anywhere.

Here's a close-up of the wreath. It was my idea to add the red felt flowers. :)

You would laugh at how simple these flowers are to make. Less than a minute. Seriously. Learn how to make them here.

Not part of my mantel, but there are all kinds of free printables for Valentine Subway art. Mine was found here.

So there you have it. I don't think I'm done yet though. Too many good ideas out there to try!


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Refinished Children's Table

For Christmas this year, we gave our toddler an art table. I found this great table and 2 chairs at a yard sale over the summer for $5, planning on painting it while it was still warm outside (we live in an apartment with no garage).

Well, fast-forward to the week before Christmas, and we finally got this baby done. No, it didn't take 6 months to paint it - try 2 days, but I am the world's worst procrastinator and kept putting it off. Anyway, we used my mom-in-law's garage and finished it just in time for Christmas!

The only before shot I took - the replacement top is already in place and we had already sanded it. There was some sun and water damage on the top, but the rest of the table and chairs were in good shape.

AFTER

We sanded and spraypainted the table and chairs, and primed and painted some chalkboard paint on the top.

Its a hit with our son - hopefully it lasts for a while!


I have lots of chalkboard paint left. I wonder what other surfaces I could paint. :)

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