Sliced just right

Tip Tuesday:

Well summer is soon to be upon us and I'm loving all the strawberries in the house! Today is Tip Tuesday and to be honest with you I'm feeling kinda fresh out of tips lately. That was until I found myself asking, "what little things do I do to save me time." I just happened to be using my egg slicer to cut strawberries. It's a simple thing to share but I've learned that this thing can save a lot of time cutting. It not only cuts strawberries beautifully but also olives, kiwi and of course hard boiled eggs. I have the Pampered Chef model but I'm sure any egg slicer will do. Maybe you knew this already, but if not ~ now ya know :-)

As always if you have a tip to share ~ drop a comment or send me an email!

A new use for an old product

Tip Tuesday:

Today's tip comes to you by way of me being a Cop's wife. When your Cop comes home with a bloody uniform you bet you want to know the best way to clean it up! Turns out the medics from the ambulance actually passed on this tip to The Mr. that bloody night, who than shared it with me when he got home. Thank goodness!! No really, because the blood on The Mr's uniform was not his own ~ ewww. (you know I wore gloves to clean the uniform)

To clean blood out of clothing, soak in hydrogen peroxide. Yep, who knew? Not me. Well that is until I married a Cop. I soaked the bloody part of his uniform in the hydrogen peroxide before tossing it into the washing machine with lots of soap, and by golly it worked! It took all the nasty blood stain out. Whoot~whoot! Ok for those of you who are wondering why I didn't just throw the the uniform out, it's not that simple. His uniform has the PD patches sewn on and we can't just toss them into the garbage for obvious reasons. So burn you say? No it was the dead of winter and... well you get what I'm saying. The uniform had to be cleaned.

Now for all you Moms out there with tom-boy girls and boys, when they scrape themselves and blood tries to stain their clothing... now you know! Hydrogen peroxide will clean em' up in more ways than one.

Oh no I forgot!

Well I can't take credit for this one, even as obvious as it sounds.
image credit
Tip Tuesday:

So a friend and I were chatting and she gave me this really great advice that resulted in some much needed freedom. Ready for this mind blowing advice I got...
Always keep a scratch pad / note pad / or electronic device with similar feature with you in your pocket or purse.
Yeah, I know ~ brilliant right!?
Here's why,
A thought comes to mind and you need to remember something, write it down. A friend calls you with a prayer request no problem write it down. You are out with the kids and the coach or instructor gives you verbal request/instructions about next weeks activities - no problem, jot it down.
By having this scratch pad available to you, you'll have all your important notes etc. in one central location until you either complete the task or transfer the information to say the calendar or whatever.
I'm a HUGE list maker. I love to have my list in hand, only thing is it's always premeditated. Off to the grocery store - list in hand. Off to Target - list in hand. You see I hadn't kept a paper in hand just to simply jot things down as the day progressed. With two small children I'm finding myself A LOT more forgetful. I think this caveman pen and paper thing is going to work out beautifully :-)

Today's tip:
Keep a notepad or some way to collect notes on as your day pans out. Free up those brain cells and enjoy life a little more :-) I like it!

Have a great tip? Love to hear it ~ share it in the comments form :-)

Dryer Traped in Softness

Well it's that time again,

Tip Tuesday:

Did you know that dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners leave a highly flammable substance behind on your clothes and that lint trap in your dryer?
To clean the invisible residue off the lint trap in your dryer; run some vinegar over both sides (after removing the lint). Give it a good rub, and rinse with cold water. Set it aside to dry and replace when ready. Yep, that easy... and yep another tip from the vinegar jar (or gallon LOL)

To rid your clothing and towels of this residue splash some vinegar in your wash water prior to loading your laundry. You can even place it in the rinse cycle instead of fabric softener. Trust me it will actually make your towels softer because it stripped that highly flammable residue from the fibers. Oh and for what it's worth... I don't think the vinegar leaves your laundry smelling like vinegar after.

As always - got a tip... please share!

Unwanted Calls

Tip Tuesday:

You may have already put your home phone number on the national do not call list but what about your cell phone?

I've actually gotten sales calls on my cell phone! How annoying! No a days many folks are using their cell numbers as their home numbers and ditching the land line. Legitimately so your cell could very well be your 'home number'. Even if it's not, I don't think it right for solicitors and sales calls to come through my cell. Do you?

If you haven't yet put either number and want to keep those solicitors from calling you; place yourself on the national do not call list. You will need to enter each number separately but worth your time. Best thing is you WON'T have to update this information every year anymore.
This from the National Do Not Call Registry: [Your registration will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008. Read more about it at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/04/dncfyi.shtm.]

Here's the link again to sign yourself up:

National Do Not Call Registry

As always if you have a great tip to share ~ pass on the knowledge and leave a comment. Love to hear from you :-) We all have those nuggets of advice that seldom get shared and often get filed away someplace out of sight and out of mind. Got a handy efficient trick? Share it so we can all savor it :-)

Cheerfully,

Click the $avings

Ok, Ok I'm not as savvy as some of those bling bling mommy bloggers out there (and find myself reading) but I do know a thing or two about saving. I'm trying to work at being better at saving money by way of clipping coupons.

Don't get the Sunday paper? Are you are like me and hate to pay for extra recyclable material only to find a $.25 coupon off a particular item when you buy three? Ok that's just me venting. I get real disappointed when they print out coupons that don't really aim at saving consumers money. On this note I feel I should point out it's not really saving you money if you are spending your hard earned cash on an item that you wouldn't normally buy simply because it's on sale or there's a coupon at hand. If you have both those ingredients than it just might be worth it?

Today there are companies who specialize in online coupons for groceries, dinning, clothing and activities. Some of these coupons you can use online and some you can print right from your home computer. Many of the retailers are accepting these electronic coupons because they are from the manufacturer or companies themselves. Best part is you don't need to buy or spend anything to get the coupons. Some places want you to register but that's normal with most online venues these days.

Tip Tuesday:
Click some $avings

Here are just a few links to get you saving!
Smart Source
Coupon Mom
Red Plum

Coupon tip: don't buy just because you have a coupon. The store brand or another brand may be on sale and still less expensive than using a coupon. For years I've fallen into the coupon trap. I've found when I'm really out for the savings this little extra tip is sure to help. And furthermore, a SALE is only a sale if it's really saving you money not encouraging you to spend it. Oh another trap I've fallen into. I try to stick to the list and items we need and if a coupon presents itself, I'm thrilled!

I was visiting The Pursuit of Mommyness and came across this great coupon blog post.
Click HERE to check it out.

That's my two cents - happy savings! If you have any other links or tips to share, drop a comment :-)

A Number in Reach

Image via Wikipedia

Tip Tuesday:

Family Yellow Pages!

With modern technology and all that it provides today's tip might seem like it's from the stone ages. I'll admit I don't have an iphone, I don't tweet and I don't have the web on my mobile device. What's worked for our family is our Family Yellow Pages. Over the years I've made and updated a binder filled with numbers and addresses our family frequently uses throughout the year. It's a one stop directory for any of our family members to use. I've filled it with phone number and addresses for all our contacts. Yep everyone from our neighbors to the dentist to the pizza shop etc. I love how everything is at our fingertips. Guess those of you with iphones are laughing at me now. I'll take the slack - lol.

Since the real yellow pages are available online I generally dispose of or recycle the big books that get tossed on our doorstep. This equals less clutter in the home office. Couldn't I simply program those numbers in my home phone you ask? Sure but, where would I keep the addresses that go with those numbers? The Family Yellow Pages double as our address book as well. All our friends contact info is in the binder by last name alphabetically.

So what's this thing composed of? It's a yellow one inch ring binder with a clear insert front thats loaded with 3-ring clear sheet / paper protectors. It also has 3-ring alpa dividers for organization and easy use. For example, under M we have a few extra sheet protectors where we conveniently store our paper Menus. On the front of the binder in the clear insert, I have a picture of our family and the title, __our last name___ Family Yellow Pages. I have a note to the family stating if you remove it, put it back where you found it. LOL

In a word processing program I typed out all 27 letters of the alphabet, one letter on a single page. I than populated each page with our contacts as you would find public yellow & white pages. I than saved the whole binder on the computer electronically where it's easy enough to make revisions to a single sheet and print out on the home computer. Honestly I don't have to make to many revisions throughout the year so it's not that much work.

Today's Tip Tuesday might not be for everyone but it's been a great resource for our family. I love the fact that I can ask The Mr. to please contact so & so or mail out ____ to ____for me. He'll ask, " is the info in the Family Yellow Pages?" Yes I'll say, and I'm able hand over the task. When the kids are old enough I'll be asking them for lending hands.

See the whole thing came into being because my contacts might not be his contacts and soon enough our kid's contacts might not be ours. Having said this, it's nice to have a central location for everyone to retrieve contact info. When the baby sitter comes over it's easy to point out the Family Yellow Pages and leave it at that. I actually put the Dr office's number right on the front with their office hours & address along with emergency info.

The Family Yellow Pages have decluttered my fridge, tack board and counters. When I have a new contact, I simply stick it in the front inside pocket of the binder and add it to the electronic version for print out next time I make revisions.

Tip Tuesday: Make and keep Family Yellow Pages for members of your family to utilize.

Cheers to organization!
As always, if you have a great tip to share I'd love to hear! Post it in the comments below or drop me an email.

Streak Free Your Reflection

I know it's been a while since I've done a Tip Tuesday. I started drafting this before baby J was born and figured it was good enough to post. For Today's Tip Tuesday I'll suggest my favorite solution much like duck tape to a man - vinegar!

Tip Tuesday:
Wipe your reflection clean by using vinegar to remove streaks from the shiny surfaces in your house. Don't trouble yourself with purchasing the expensive glass cleaner and multi-surface cleaner - vinegar does it all. It's quiet inexpensive too. Works great on the mirror or glass surfaces too. I even use it on the front of my oven to clean those little toddler finger prints.
While you are at it you can add a little dish soap to wipe down the fridge handles and stove back burners, pretty much anything. Vinegar is a natural anti-microbial cleaner. It really does wonders and it's safe for kids rather than harsh chemicals. I know I've blogged about vinegar in the past, but that's my tip for today hope it's a good find for you. :-)

Return to Sender

Ever get those credit card offers and solicitations in the mail and wish they'd stop? Well I've got a tip for you that will help with some of that.

Tip Tuesday:

When you get a credit card offer in the mail that you don't want, rather than tossing or shredding it stick it to them, quite literally. Most of those mailings come with stamped or postage paid envelopes. Shove all the contents (including the envelope it was delivered in) into the prepaid envelope and send it back to them. You may also want to add a little note to have you deleted from their mailing lists. I've done this with a few dozen companies and it's actually worked.

For unwanted fliers etc. that come and don't have the prepaid envelope option, try to toss it before bringing it into the house with desired mail. If you have a mud room or paper bag right by the entry door - toss it right away. It will save your counters from unwanted clutter.

Have your own tip to share? Leave a comment I'd love to hear how you tackle unwanted junk mail.
Have a happy day!

Historical Laundry Method

Ok I've really been a busy bee gearing up for the little spuds arrival (bambino #2). I realize that I've not been posting often but I couldn't miss Tip Tuesday. These last few weeks I'm trying to pace myself. This thing called pregnancy is more of a marathon than a sprint. I definitely feel as though these last few miles are kilometers. Hurray, we're almost there. I've done a ton of extra laundry as I prepare for this little guys arrival. Oh how I forgot how small newborn onsies are. In light of my laundering, I thought I'd reflect a helpful tip from my laundry room to yours :-)

The following is not a tip that I can take credit for, so I opted to credit another in this posting. In fact I don't know who's grandmother's grandmother used it first? Using vinegar in the wash has been around for many years. In our home we don't use fabric softener, rather vinegar in our laundry. [Yes we use soap too] It really works wonders in my opinion. It's actually said that vinegar has over 100 resourceful uses in a home. It's true that it's a natural anti-microbial cleaner. I'm guilty of buying it by the gallon. :-) It's a lot less expensive than fabric softener. Truth be told fabric softener leaves behind a flammable residue that can't be seen. Vinegar actually cleans this residue away. I always bath my towels with vinegar when washing them. A good splash in the rinse cycle and presto! They come out so soft and fluffy. This said, I'm not the fabric softener Nazi, to each their own :-) Like I said, it's been a great economical resourceful product in our home.

Today I have a web link from a resourceful blog about going greener. The blog is, Repurposeful.

Tip Tuesday:
Click HERE for the blog posting from Repurposeful about using vinegar in the wash.

You may not be the vinegar type and that's fine. Or perhaps you've already been using vinegar in your wash or around your home. Either way if you have a resourceful tip - please by all means share & post a comment :-) Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Crying Over Onions

Well you've seen the master chefs do their fancy chopping in the glam light of TV land. It seems every time they are immune to the tears that are caused by onion chopping - us normal folks just can't hold back. Maybe there's something the are not sharing...


Tip Tuesday:
Today's tip is not from yours truly but it's a good one. I found it from another blog Pinch My Salt. It's an older post from this blogger dated back in October but, I found it quite resourceful at keeping tears at bay.
Click Here for a tutorial on how to cut an onion with fewer tears like the pros do.

Oh and by all means if you have suggestions please post in a comment. I'll be the first to admit I'm not so savvy in the kitchen as I'd like to be.

Fabulous Freezer Notes

Today's tip is perfect for the dead of winter when fresh veggies and fruit are not as available in the market. If you're like me buying the frozen kind, your freezer is probably chuck full. I'm also a big fan of making extra batches of meals to have on hand in the freezer for nights when there is no time to cook; or I want a night off. :-)

On average how often would you say you purge your freezer of old freezer burned food? For me it never seemed to happen and I would find some chicken in the back covered with frost. Ugg what a waste and total goof on my part.
I'm not sure how this tip found it's way into our home but today's tip will help tackle these problems.

Tip Tuesday:
Tack up on the front or side of your freezer a slip of paper and title it Freezer Notes. Jot down everything in your freezer as a starting list. Than when you add items jot them down too. When an item is depleted you can simply cross it off. This will help your grocery list as well.
Alternatively if you don't want the extra clutter on the face of your freezer, you can clip the list to the inside of your freezer door with either a clothespin or chip clip. (Tape tends not to work so well due to the moisture factor). Next to each item write the date that you put it in the freezer. I usually start a new list right before it gets to messy to understand. Takes secconds to transfer the info on to a new slip of paper.

If you keep meals in the freezer, I've learned it's a good idea to put a date on them. This way you're not left with the ??? when did I make and freeze this question. OK this may sound almost to simple, but I've been there several times. I like to use stackable Ziplock type freezer containers for meals. To label each container I place a rubber band around the container with my sticky note on the front where it's visible. The sticky note lists the contents of the container / or meal and the date it was frozen. If you have a different set up and your freezer is on the bottom you can place sticky notes on the tops of your Ziplock containers for easy viewing :-) I do the same if I have freezer Ziplock bags of items that aren't in their original packaging.
I keep a small stash of rubber bands, pens and sticky notes in a fridge pocket on the freezer for easy access. Fabulous Freezer Notes are fun! Say that three times in a row, ha ha.

Take it or leave it, that's my tip for this Tuesday. :-) As you probably guessed, inspired by all the extra meals I'm freezing in preparation for the birth of our son. I know I'm simply not going to have the time to do as much cooking right after we take him home. At this point my freezer looks a little like it belongs in a bomb shelter. All this nesting and cooking it's chuck full of meals. I think we're good for a few weeks at least! Three cheers for an organized fresh freezer!

Contact Conundrum

Conundrum is defined as: A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma.
Ever been out with kids in toe and run into a friend that you have not seen in quite some time? You're on the fly but want to connect. When it comes time to exchange contact information unless you are prepared, here is what could happen.

Contact Conundrum:
You bump into a old coworker or friend while out with the kids. "Oh yeah, let me give you my info and we'll stay connected.... stirring in your bag for a writing implement and paper with the clock ticking and kids crying you say, oh here I have a crayon and if you don't mind, my gum wrapper but I promise it's clean. See I'm still chewing the gum."
Not Good. Ok so this might be stretching the point and thankfully this never actually happened to me and hopefully not to you either. I also hope this made you laugh - it's meant to.

In today's world business or contact cards are not only for employed working professionals. As a Home Manager I like to carry a few of these contact cards on me for such occasions. If you are like me a domestic house wife and mom I hope you are not calling yourself that. Your new title is Home Manager, a challenging job all itself. That also takes care of the question... "So, what are you doing these days, where are you working?" I'm convinced a paycheck is not what defines a job in entirety. I could go on and on about this so moving right along to the tip....

Tip Tuesday:

Create personal contact cards in a word processing software. Add as little or as much contact information as you'd like to share. Some folks even have little encouraging notes or life verses on them. You don't even need to print them out on business card paper. They can simply be printed and cut out of standard printer paper. Stash a few in your wallet or diaper bag. Either way you are prepared to hand over something suitable for another to stay in contact with you. No more fishing for a pen and paper on the spot. If you want really nice ones you can find a company who makes business cards and order them. Having the information available at your finger tips is a great feeling. :-) Chances are they won't loose it as oft as they might say, a gum wrapper - ha ha.
If you want colored snazzy ones I can tell you this one was made up on 123Print.com. They advertise $1.99 for 30 cards, plus shipping which may end up looking something like:

Product Total: $1.99

Shipping & Processing Fee: $3.35

Tax: $0.00

Total: $5.34

You can probably find some good deals out there but like I mentioned, using the resources you already have and printing out on regular paper works just as good :-)

Tip Tuesdays

Sooo, as you know we have our little guy coming soon, but honestly I wanted have a recurring theme each week. Something for you to look forward to (I hope). I came up with Tip Tuesday.

Each Tuesday I'll (try to) post a helpful / handy tip that has either found it's way in our home on purpose or by accident. So you may have heard a tip or two that might come up on any given Tuesday but, I hope that my tips are little golden nuggets that will bless you and your family members as it has been a blessing to us.
If you have a tidbit or resourceful tip you'd like to share, feel free to leave a comment :-) or drop me some mail. I have an email set up strictly for this blog. You can find it under my short bio.


Today's Tip:
You'll have to work with me here. Assuming the sink is not full of dishes like mine was yesterday.
To polish a stainless kitchen sink, sprinkle some baking soda in the sink and rub with warm water. For hard stains, sprinkle little dishwasher powder into the your sink, (no particular brand) and scrub with warm water. Gloves a must for this job, especially if you opt to add the dishwasher powder. Make sure you rinse the sink very well. Works great if you have hard water or lots of mineral deposits from your tap water. Your kitchen sink will be sparkling in no time! Repeat as needed :-) If you are worried about the dishwasher powder scratching, the baking soda is less abrasive. I don't know for me, there's such a sense of accomplishment when the sink sparkles (bling!)