Gadgets I Swear By

I'm not big on gadgets. I don't like clutter, and it seems like they always wind up becoming clutter.

But this is a list that I swear by.

The Super Cheap

Mini Broom and DustpanDollar Tree$1.00

I love this for sweeping crumbs off of the table. We've had this for about three years and it's still in great shape, so not bad for a Dollar Tree find. The hole in the end of the handle makes it easy to store--it hangs on a command hook under our sink.  It's easy for the kids to use, and works well for the table, kitchen counters, etc.


ToothbrushDollar Tree$1.00

Okay, this is a gimme. But I love the cheap packs from Dollar Tree because they are...well, cheap.


Soap Dispensing Sponge BrushDollar Tree$1.00

Mix some dishsoap and vinegar and throw it in the shower. Wipe down walls while you are showering and keep them shiny without elbow grease. It is a win, win.

Cleaning Brush SetWal-Mart$2.41

Typically, you'll find these whereever bottles and sippy cups are sold. But they can be used for getting down in a myriad of tiny cracks and crevices (I've even run them between my stove and counter top where there's a lip that collects crumbs).

Not Cheap But Still Awesome

Nesting Measuring CupsPampered Chef$16.75

These were a gift that has definitely been pretty amazing. I like that they clip together so that they don't come loose in the drawer, and the tapered shape makes it easy to find one that will scoop out of almost any container.


Measure -All CupPampered Chef$11.25

One side does dry and the other does wet. The dry side functions so that the silicone insert can scrape the sides and get everything out. I love it, especially for measuring sticky stuff like peanut butter.


Libman Freedom Spray MopWal-Mart$29.99

I am a big fan of spray mops. I like the Libman because it doesn't require a certain type of fluid, so I can make my own or use whatever I want. You can also buy different pads and change them out. I had a Swiffer and I liked it well enough, but it was frustrating to have to replace batteries and, while I eventually figured out how to make one bottle of Swiffer fluid into a reusable one (thank you, Internet), it was definitely more difficult than just obtaining one that was made that way to begin with.

My Expensive Favorites

Ninja Master PrepAmazon$49.97

A gift from my mother-in-law this past Christmas and I adore it. Not only does it make kitchen tasks remarkably easy (I make my own shake n bake breading for pork chops, and it cut the time needed to make a big batch in more than half), but it also makes mean ice-based cocktails. My Debate Night Daiquiris have been the bomb-diggity.


Stand MixerWal-Mart$199.97

You can find less expensive versions of this. Again, a gift--I dunno how I'd have justified it otherwise. But, it's become one of my most used appliances. Bread, cookies, cakes, pizza--it's made foods that used to take an hour to prep take fifteen minutes or less, and that's made me more inclined to make them.

Habit Helpers: Start a "Stop Doing" List

I was doing some reading for this week's habit, and I came across a 2003 piece by Jim Collins that had this little tidbit:

The start of the New Year is a perfect time to start a stop doing list and to make this the cornerstone of your New Year resolutions, be it for your company, your family or yourself. It also is a perfect time to clarify your three circles, mirroring at a personal level the three questions asked by Smith: 

1) What are you deeply passionate about?
2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just "made to do"?
3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at? 

Those fortunate enough to find or create a practical intersection of the three circles have the basis for a great work life. 

Think of the three circles as a personal guidance mechanism. As you navigate the twists and turns of a chaotic world, it acts like a compass. Am I on target? Do I need to adjust left, up, down, right? If you make an inventory of your activities today, what percentage of your time falls outside the three circles?

I for one am going to be considering these questions for a bit and coming up with some answers. It's an interesting look at both the idealistic and the pragmatic.

Intriguing.

Checking back in on my January Cure projects

It's the first day of February, so I am taking stock of my January Cure progress. I'm pretty pleased with how they've held up over the past couple of weeks.

Here's the linen closet in my laundry room:

 A few things have been moved into this closet--the humidifier and sunscreen. But overall, it's still holding up well.

The utensil drawer in my kitchen:

Hasn't changed much. I do think I am going to make this a baking drawer instead, and flip some of the contents with the drawer on the other side of my stove.

And last but not least, our entryway coat closet:

So, this one got off the rails a bit, because the kids managed to yank one of the hooks off the wall, so now the littlest one is tossing his coat on the floor. We've added secure wall hooks to our list of projects for this month.

I like taking stock and reminding myself of the projects I've completed and any tweaks they need. I'm pleased with this start to the year. :)

January Cure 2016: Two Days of Assignments

So, yesterday's Cure assignment was to create a landing strip and a place for coats when you get into your house.

Uh...done?

It's been done for a while (I added the Hemnes storage back on Christmas Eve and redid the closet last week or the week before).

Then today...

I really like this advice. I like it so much that I've been doing it for over a year now.

Well, I don't set the timer. But all told, I do two sweeps, morning and afternoon. The morning one takes about ten minutes and the afternoon one takes about five. And I can attest that it really does help keep clutter under control under normal circumstances.

BUT, a word of warning:

There's a reason this simple task comes in the last week of the Cure and that is that it requires that you already have some organization in place. You need places for the clutter to go or you'll just shift it from one room to the next.

I recommend really focusing on paper storage and filing and toy storage. Those two areas usually significantly cut down on clutter, at least in our home. But it's also surprisingly easy to just make a "to file" pile in a corner or shut the door on the toys and not have to think about it. Having easy and quick storage works best to keep the clutter in check.

Anybody else doing the Cure? What'd you think of these assignments?

Habit Helpers: Write an "I Did It" list.

This week's habit is to write an I Did It list detailing your accomplishments each day.

I've been looking forward to this habit. I'm bad about overlooking my own accomplishments and focusing too much on what I haven't done.

So here's what I Did yesterday:

• Cleaned the living room, entry, and office
• Adhered to my cleaning schedule (I'd fallen off the wagons for the first week or two of the new year)
• Not really yesterday per se, but it was apparent yesterday because it was Leftovers Night: I did really well last week with reducing our food waste by reducing the amount I was cooking--I'm looking forward to continuing to hone it.
• Wrote a blog post for Happy Heathen Humanist Homemaker and Over the Cuckoos' Nest
• Got ahead on Over the Cuckoos' Nest by doing an additional blog post
• Read the next chapter in How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and sketched out a plan for applying it this week
• Dinner on the table at 5:30--yay
• Read two sections of Bitch and a chapter of Breaking the Spell

Anyway, putting it down on paper was pretty cool because it made me take stock of what I'd done in a very tangible way.

I definitely think this is one habit that I'll continue on with. I like the sense of yes, I'm getting things done, that I got from completing this one.

Cleaning with Kids: Keeping your sanity (maybe)

It wasn't long after I got my own place that my mother walked in and exclaimed, "It doesn't even look like you have kids!"

That was on a good day, and she was right: it really didn't look like there were any kids in the house.

It seems like "messy" and "kids" are synonymous (and they are), but I must admit, I bristle a little bit at things like "Good moms have messy house and happy kids." I'm not happy when our house is a mess. It bothers me. I've still got happy kids, though.

Today, I'm going to share my advice for how to balance it. I'll be noting what worked while I was working and what didn't and what works today that might not have when I was working. Also, relevant information: our children are currently 13, 11, 9, and 5. However, I'll be talking about the whole breadth of our time living together, and my spouse and I moved in together when our nine-year-old was three.

Okay, now that I've thoroughly confused you with background, let's take a look.

Check out this post from Steve Novella about Clean Eating...plus, a handful of nutrition myths

Salt
Eggs
Whole wheat
Saturated fat
Coffee

Out of the five examples above, which one is absolutely, unequivocally health?

If you picked whole wheat, you're wrong. Indeed, if you picked any of them wrong. None of them is absolutely, unequivocally healthy...nor are any of them absolutely, unequivocally unhealthy, either.

This is an example of some of the myths surrounding nutrition that we have floating around. As a secular homemaker, it's important to me to separate the wheat from the chaff (ha ha!) and figure out where the solid ground is when I'm feeding my family.

I read this piece by Dr. Steve Novella of Science-Based Medicine yesterday, and I highly recommend everyone take a look at it: The Clean Eating Delusion.