Outside My Comfot Zone

Have you ever done anything outside of your comfort zone?  I did this week.  Ironically, it is something that didnt' used to be outside that zone but when you haven't done something in a long time and are doing it in a new environment, well, that comfort zone is gone!!!

In March, I joined the Lakewood Area Choral Society and I love it.  I have been wanting to join for a few years but our schedule didn't allow for me to make it to the practices so I just had to wait.  I am beyond thrilled to be part of this fantastic group - the director is beyond amazing and there is nothing better than being in a room with a bunch of people that love to sing. 

Well, on Monday night, try-outs took place for both solos in some upcoming songs as well as specials for the next concert.  Now, I've sung solo's in church since I was 13.  Over the past few weeks I worked on a song and had planned to try out for the solos as well . .. until I figured out that my comfort zone walls were being stretched.  See, I haven't even sung in church in over a year because we have been in between churches.  Yes, I miss singing.  Very much.  The first time to sing again is always tough and I doubted even trying it but . . .I did it.  I tried out for a special - as did several others so who knows :-)  What I did not do was try out for a solo.  I tend to be very uncomfortable when I don't know how the process works so tonight I sat and listened and watched to what other did.  It was actually very relaxed - the direction is really just listening for voices.  The good news?  There is still one solo that no one tried out for so I'm going to work hard on it the next two weeks and try out for it even if it is just to get the first time out of the way! 

Here is the song I'm singing:

(I apoligize for the quality of the video, it is the only one I could find)

We do have some upcoming concerts so feel free to check out the website for date :- )

And I'll let you know how my next try out goes too!

Too Cute Not To Toot!

I realize that it is not officially summer but, Memorial Day IS the unofficial start of summer and that is a good thing.  We've added our first pink color to our skin (yes, we are wearing sunscreen too!), swam in our new pool AND went to the beach, put up a swingset and are starting our summer fun plans.  I find myself looking more and more for ideas to do with my kids on top of crafts for me. 

We'll start with this great idea from Mer Mag for building a castle, well, I loved it.  My boys are starting to love things like pirates, castles, and dino's so I think this would be perfect for them!

I think this idea from Delia Creates for a B-I-N-G-O summer bucket list is beyond creative.  I plan on printing the free pintable and putting in my summer binder.  Right now my boys are not big on rewards but I think in years to come, they will so this will be a fun activity.

Oopsey Daisy has a guest post up and it is adorable - it's a Super Hero mask.  Guess what my June project is?? To make super hero capes for the boys . . I'm going to add these masks to the list!

Here's a great blog post from Spell Out Loud with a lot of ideas to do with preschoolers in the summer.  I'm going to have to print many of these and add them to our Summer Binder.

This cute idea from Dukes and Duchesses is great for a first year baseball player or I thought it would be great for a Father's Day Gift if your spouse loves baseball like mine does!  I'm thinking that I might have just found the fun part of the Father's Day gift for this household!

 

One of the things on my wish list/saving for list is an Ice Cream Maker.  I have the one I want all picked out and, to make it better, our niece has one so I know it really as good as all of the reviews!  This Limeade Recipe from The Idea Room sounds so yummy just as a cool drink but to make it into a slushy?  That is a double Yummy!!

My New Planner

You may recall when I posted this idea from The Oxford Place Diaries in a Too Cute Not To Toot post recently.

I'm always looking at new ways to plan my day so I decided to read through this post. At first, I thought it was a little crazy but the more I studied it and thought about how to apply it to my life, the more I realized that this is just what I've been looking for to be my "daily planner".  Now, last fall I got on the Erin Condren planner craze.  I will not lie, I think that planner is fun, easy to use and a great idea . . . if you have lots of stuff to write down.  All I really use is the monthly planner - not the planner as a whole.  I have also found that it is a little big for me to carry.  I'm a small purse kinda girl so I have to carry it in addition to my purse.  With this new plan, I'm going to go back to just the month-to-month small purse calendar eventually since everything I need for my days at home are in my new files.

 First up, this is the "new" corner of my desk.  It houses three binders - our Budget Binder, our Summer Plan Binder, and my Too Cute Project Binder.  I was able to get rid of the desk file and other things that just filled my desk.  This makes it so much more roomy.

 The way that this system works is simply that you create a file folder for each week of the year - yes, 52 separate file folders.  Each File contains the same basic information.  The photo above shows two files - the Manila File Folder is my planner for the upcoming week.  On the cover is the June Calendar so I can have a quick glance at the month and anything that is upcoming.  The second, patterned, folder holds all of the information for this weeks summer activities with the kids.  I did purchase labels for the file folders and all they say is "Week of June 4-10"  Yes, my week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, at least when it comes to planning. For now, I am using a binder clip to hold in the left side and I stapled everything to the right side.  So, what is inside this weekly planner? Let me show you!

 There are two sides to the folder.  On the left side is my daily planner.

 I know it is hard to read but the long skinny column on the left hand side is my day- starting with 7:00 am and ending at 9:00 pm since I seldom have anything earlier than that or later than that in a day.  The 4 sections on the top are my routines - my morning, afternoon, and evening routine and also my kids routine.  This allows me to always keep those routines in my face but without having lose paper everywhere.  The large section in the middle is the To Do List - where I write down everything from phone calls to what bills need to be paid that day to paperwork I need to complete.  Finally, the full section at the bottom is my Weekly Goal Section.  As you now, I set goals each month.  In this section, I write down what specific item I want to complete on that day.  For example, with my declutter project - I want to complete 30 minutes in the basement and 15 minutes in the kitchen on that day.  I rotate the top sheet to the back each day - so yes, they all stay in the file. The Right side of the folder is my weekly information.

 The top sheet is broken down by day and I have entered things that repeat such as doing the zone cleaning for that week, spending 15 minutes deep cleaning the zone room, taking out the trash and changing the sheets.  If I have tasks that I need to do on a certain day I could also list them there (such as dentist appointments or hair cuts so I don't forget about them!)  Are you with me so far? 

The second page is more of a reminder page for me - it includes a list of what things I need to clean weekly in the bathroom, kitchen, and weekly home blessing.  Eventually I will list monthly chores here that need to get done but I haven't gone that far yet :-)

 Next comes the detail cleaning list - I just printed this from the Flylady site for now - eventually I will make it more mine but I was trying not to over think this when I created this plan.

 Behind that is my list of goals for the week - these tie in to my monthly goals but I write down specific things I need to get done this week to accomplish those goals. 

Then I included the list of things for our summer activities - it allows me to see what I need at a glance.

Finally, (oops I forgot to actually staple it in the file!) is the zone challenges for the week.  This allows me to see what zone task I need to daily without having to log into the computer to get it done. 

This is my file drawer in my desk.  The front folder holds the current months file folders; behind that are my Monday-Friday folders where I file things that need to get done throughout this week (one of my afternoon routine tasks is to go through the days file). My disclaimer on those files is right now they are very full - this week I plan on getting them caught back up and "slim" again!  Behind those files are the future files - I have created them through the end of December as of this point (I should state they are empty - I will fill them as I get to them.).  Then I keep a file folder with some extra copies of my worksheets.  Currently, I am not making a lot of advanced copies just in case I need to make some changes.  Eventually I would like to be able to print out about 3-4 months at a time so I can just pull them out.  Finally, the set of files in the back are by Month (Jan-Dec) - they are for scrapbooking.  This is where I file photos, ticket stubs, programs, etc that I want for scrapbooking.  When I'm ready to do that particular month, I can just grab that file and everything is waiting for me. 

I do plan on keeping each weeks folder and it will go into the back of the years folders.  This will allow me the freedom to look back at things as needed. 

I've tried all sorts of ideas to get my routines in front of my face daily - papers taped to cupboards,  laminated sheets on ring clips - but they all were bulky!  This is simple and just lays on my desk.  It gives me a place to file invitations right into the correct week without having to remember where I put them. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu Plus

Welcome to another weekly menu!  I cooked nothing last week that was on the menu.  Ok, maybe I did a few things but I cooked hardly anything!  My husband brought home a pizza on Tuesday night, the boys and I just ate some leftovers on Wednesday, on Thursday I made Tacos because that is what sounded good.  Crazy week.  Now, I had a revelation this past week.  When I go to the grocery store I buy 2 gallons of milk plus sometimes, if it is on sale, I'll buy a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk.  I've noticed that we go through a lot of milk - and it hit home when I picked up a gallon on Tuesday evening and it was gone by Wednesday night.  Seriously.  So, this week, when I went shopping, I bought 4 gallons of milk.  I really try to NOT have to make mid-week store runs because, as you all well know, stopping for a gallon of milk often includes a few other items.  We'll see if we run out this week.  I have a three year old who drinks milk like all the cows are going to die tomorrow.  Crazy kid. 

Here's the plan for this week. 

Saturday: My husband plans in a Christian group and they are performing on Saturday in a huge Festival of the Arts so we will either eat at the Festival or eat out afterwards.

Sunday: Balsamic Pork Loin, Roasted Cauliflower, Yeast Rolls

Monday: Shrimp Pasta, Corn on the Cob and Garlic Bread

Tuesday:  Chicken Scallopini, Rice, Asparagus and Rolls

Wednesday: Chick -Ful-Lay Nuggets and Fries (It is a new recipe and that is how she spelled it HA)

Thursday:  Pork Chops on the grill, Corn, and Baked Potatoes. 

Friday:  We may go out to dinner with friends but, if not, the kids will eat something fun and then we'll either Grill Steaks or order in. 

I also have a new bar cookie recipe to try and a cheese Danish Recipe to try as well.

Food Friday - Cucumber Salad

I have several "meal" recipes to post but I am behind on going through photos so, I'm going to share with you a simple salad recipe I made last night. 

Cucumber Salad
adapted from Comfy in the Kitchen

Growing up, my mom always made two different things with cucumbers (well, she did more than two but these were creative uses of way too many cucumbers growing in the garden).  One was Cucumbers sliced and placed in a mix of vinegar and water.  YUMMY!  I guess some people would call them quick pickles but I just called them sour cucumbers.  When I saw this similar recipe posted on another blog I decided to try it out and it really is so good.  The sugar adds just enough sweetness to make me want to eat them all at once (who knows, maybe my mom added sugar and I just never knew it!!)  I was hoping that Josh would eat them since he loves pickles.  I'll give him credit - he did taste one but told me that they weren't pickles because they were in "water" :-) 

Ingredients

• 1 English Cucumber
• 1 Vidalia Onion (I usually just use whatever I have - it's more for flavor than anything)
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• salt, pepper, and/or dill weed optional}

Instructions

1. Peel cucumber leaving some decorative peel in tact.
2. Thinly slice cucumber and onion.
3. Whisk water, vinegar and sugar together and poor over cucumber and onion.
4. Let marinate for at least 2 hours or make ahead of time in morning.
5. Add seasonings to your liking

Goals for June (and a quick recap of May)

Goals, for me, are a way to track what I want to accomplish and give me a place to start; something to work towards; and something to celebrate once accomplished. 

In May I posted a list of 5 goals I wanted to work toward.  I didn't post the list until almost half way through the month and knew I wouldn't get a lot done but I did it to get me back into the mindset of goals after taking a month or so off due to a super busy schedule.  Here's a quick recap. 
1) We did have the 1st ever (annual) Memorial Day Family get together but I didn't really have to plan much.  It got moved to my brother's house in order to it possible for my brother and niece to be able to spend time with famly after her soccer games. 
2) I did start the decluttering of the basement but haven't gotten far.  It's a task I need to break down into sections or it is overwhelming!!!
3) Our summer plans are finalized - at least through June.  July and August are tentative right now as things always change but June is set. 
4) This was my disciplines and I'm still working on this stuff
5) I don't think I did a single thing in my misc list! 

So, now on to June - here's a list of what I am planning to get done (or at least hope to get done!) throughout the coming month.  I can tell you this right now - if the temps soar into the 90's (or even the 80's with high humidity) my productivity drops to zero.  When you live in a house without A/C you learn to survive by doing nothing and watching TV HA! 

1. Summer Activities - My goal is to have all of the activities ready to go for the following week by Saturday.  This means having all of the things I need prepared and ready to go, checking the weather for our "field trips" and making any funds I need are set aside (for entrance fees or special trips to get ice cream)  This also means preparing for our weekend plans - we have three festivals we want to attend, a family party, and family photos coming up this month.  I need to make sure that our plans our finalized the week before which, again, includes planning out the funds needed, the scheduling (what time we need to leave, whether to pack a lunch or get a treat out, and checking the weather to make sure our plans will work!  I am ready for June 1st - we are planting Sunflower seeds!! This celebrates family.

2. Declutting.  I actually have two decluttering projects I'm working on this month.  First, the basement.  As I mentioned above, this has to be broken down into small sections in order to get it done.  So the first step in this project is to write my plan (which I am working on this week).  Then, I will begin conquering the plan one week at a time.  Obviously, to be finished by the end of the month it is only a 4 week plan which, I know, is more than doable.  Second, is the rest of the house.  Over the course of the next 4 weeks, I'm going to do a "survey" of every room, closet, cupboard and drawer and get rid of the things we have never used or have not used in over a year.  I did this about 3 years ago so I know if stuff is sitting in those places and we haven't used it since then, it needs to go.  I do have a few things I only use once or twice a year (round cake pans, chocolate fountain, etc) that I keep but I know I use those things for a purpose.  Having 6 pie plates is a little over kill especially since 90% of the pies I make I use frozen crusts for so I get the throw away pans with the crusts.  (Best thing ever invented HA!).  I'm really not sure what this celebrates except making my life easier because I'm not stuffing stuff into closets where there is no room!!

3. The big room switch.  We have made the decision to home school so we also did a lot of thinking, measuring, and talking and have decided that the best way to do this is to move bedrooms around.  The short version is that the boys are going into the biggest bedroom, which is currently ours, we are going into the second bedroom, which is currently Josh's and the school room is going into Nate's room, which is the tiny room.  We have a long list of things that have to be done in order to make it work smoothly.  This months goals are to get the treadmill out of our bedroom - it is being given to my parents.  As much as I hate losing it we have zero room for it.  Sometimes something has to give and the treadmill is it.  Not to mention that in this phase of my life, trying to find time to walk on it is nearly impossible.  I'm glad it is going to a "good home" and it will get lots of use!  Once the treadmill is out, we need to pull up the carpet and carpet tacks in our room getting it ready for a hard floor to go down.  We have many reasons for putting down a hard floor - the most fun reason is so the boys can play cars on it :-)  I also need to clean out my filing cabinet, putting all of our files into a portable box to keep elsewhere (we seldom need them) so that the cabinet can be moved into the homeschool room when we are ready. If we can get that far by the end of the month, we are doing good.  The actually "switch" won't happen until Labor day weekend when my husband has time to put the floor down so we are working towards that at this point.  We also plan on putting the same flooring in the home school room and hope to put it down at the same time but we'll see!

4. Potty Training - Seriously.  I have one child who refuses this.  I know you can't force them to do it but we are continually working towards getting them both potty trained.  Don't judge  me - I've tried every trick in the book and tricks don't work :-)

5.  Clean out the Garage - this is a project that is on the books every summer.  We like to take time to clean out any junk that has collected and make it nice and neat.  I also need to go through our camping stuff and organize it for camping in July.  (On a side note, one of the things on my wish list for next year is a new garage door/and opener so that we can use the garage to park in more - the door is so heavy and cumbersome without an opener, we don't tend to use it unless a blizzard is coming!)

I think 5 goals for the month is pretty doable.  There are all kinds of misc things to do like sell my nephews books, finish a growth chart we started a year ago (it's hung up, I just need to update the "growth" part of it), work on various art projects for the boys rooms and homeschool room so they are ready when the rooms are ready, learn how to use my cricut a friend has given me and more! !

I'm praying for some beautiful 70 degree days this summer so I can get all of this stuff done!!!

Our Summer Binder

Summer is knocking on our door and it is time to start having fun!!  The boys are old enough to enjoy some daily fun so I have searched and come up with all kinds of fun activities, foods, and field trips and created a Summer Binder. 

On the cover of our Summer Binder is this great "Bucket List" for the month.  If you love these type of things, you can get your own for every month of the year from Signature Photography Studios.  No, I don't do everything on the list but it gives me something to spring off of :-) 

The next step was I just started printing ideas from blogs and Pinterest and placed them in our binder.  I didn't worry about age levels or anything like that because some ideas are for later.  I just saved everything I saw that I liked and than printed :-)

I created the different sections based on need but some of them are Inside Activities, Outside Activities, Water Fun, Food, Special Activities, and even a folder for ideas things for me.  You can feel free to check out my Summer Board on Pinterest to see many of the ideas I've printed.  I continue to add more to that board and print those every free weeks.  You may wonder why I print?  There is one simple reason, people delete ideas.  I've already learned that and have lost some great ideas.  This way, I print the idea/instructions/blog post and have what I want for future years.

My last step is that I took time to go through the ideas, the bucket list and, well, my own brain, and write one thing on each week day.  In June we are doing things such as going to pick strawberries and then making strawberry jam; making ice cube sailboats, going to a local zoo and many more fun things. 

I've learned that if I don't plan, we do nothing.  Now, if this summer is like last summer as far as heat . . .well, then I am VERY prepared for NEXT summer HA!