by BlondieWrites on February 25, 2010
Organization 101 - Get Organized With Tips and Tricks to Organize Your Life, Work and Home
Do you feel like your life is spinning out of control? Do you sometimes think that you are no better than a hamster on a wheel, just running around in circles all of the time? This is most likely due to the fact that you are unorganized. And when you are disorganized, you are likely to suffer at home, work and in your personal life.
The good news is that you can be organized. It just takes the ability to learn some easy tips and the willingness to use them. You will start to notice a positive difference in your life right away as soon as you start to implement these tips. Not only will you be more organized and feel more in control of your life, but those around you will benefit from your organization skills.
It is easier than you think to get organized. You have to take it one step at a time, though, or else it can seem overwhelming and you are likely to get nothing done at all. The first thing that you need to do is to take stock of your life and make a list of what you want to accomplish. Like anything else, organization is just like anything else you want to accomplish in life. You set a big goal and then set smaller goals so that you can work your way towards achieving this large goal.
Are you ready to get organized? Click here to get the guide now.
Popularity: 1% [?]
by BlondieWrites on January 19, 2010
by BlondieWrites on January 14, 2010
Tighwad Group, Come Join!
I’ve recently been granted to take over the Tightwad group, a long time Yahoo tightwad living group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tightwad
The group’s owner had disappeared long ago, leaving the group to spammers posting yucky stuff. I have deleted a lot of messages and hopefully got rid of all the nasty ones.
We are wanting to jump start the group again, bring it back to life, to what it was intended for… tightwad tips, frugal living, budgeting, freebies, and coupons. So I am asking my readers here to join up and share their freebies, tightwad tips, frugal recipes, coupons, etc. Basically any and everything that pertains to tightwad living.
The group posts are moderated to keep the icky spam out.
So come on and join and spread the word to your friends!
Tightwad
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tightwad
Popularity: 1% [?]
by BlondieWrites on November 28, 2009
Family is at the core of the Christmas season, so creating fun memories with your family is always at the top of the must-do list this time of year.
What fun activities can you incorporate into your family life that makes Christmas memorable and fun? Plenty, really. There are the traditional and the things a little bit out of the box.
Think back to your childhood and Christmas time in your house. Are there particular memories that are clearer than others? Those are likely the traditions your parents created for you and your siblings. Trying to create traditions in your own home with your own children is one way to make Christmas fun, exciting and memorable. Perhaps it’s decorating cookies, or making gingerbread houses. Maybe when you were younger your mom always had something yummy smelling coming from the kitchen. You can create the same tradition by simply keeping potpourri warmed and smelling nice, if you don’t have the time to bake frequently.
If you want to do a fun family activity in the kitchen, but baking’s not your thing, you can make a variety of other gift items in your kitchen. The kids love making chocolate and candy covered pretzel sticks, and you can pair those with homemade hot cocoa mix to give as gifts.
Be sure to incorporate music into your family’s traditions. How about some family fun singing Christmas carols or creating your own family music CD? Record your family singing Christmas carols and use that CD as your music CD for the holidays. If you all are particularly talented, you could make these look pretty and give them as gifts.
Many families like to cut down their own Christmas tree. This is a really fun family activity that can add a lot to the Christmas season. Christmas tree farms are located just about everywhere. Check into a local grower’s group for locations. You simply show up, grab a saw (this is mom or dad’s job) and go hunting. Depending on the location of the tree farm, you might walk only a short distance, or you might have to hike up and down hills and far into the farm’s reaches to find just the right tree.
To add even more fun to this activity, create another family tradition that will annually go with the tree cutting. It can be as simple as also having lunch (at the same place each year) and picking up candy to eat in the car on the way home. You might also add a shopping excursion to the day; after the tree is safe at home in a bucket of water, you might all go shopping as a family for some new ornaments.
Other fun family activities can include annual visits to certain places in your community. Does your town have an annual “Christmas tree lane” where all the homes on one street decorate (sometimes in an over the top fashion) for the holidays? You can make a tradition of driving down the street each year, or walking the entire street, if the weather allows. Walking gives the kids a chance to see some of the details of the various décor items.
Many children think hot cocoa is an essential part of the Christmas season. If that’s the case with yours, you could start a fun family activity each year where you make a big batch of hot cocoa mix at the start of the season. Let the kids have a small cup each night before bed during the month of December and closer to Christmas, add special items to the hot cocoa, like mini marshmallows one night and whipped cream another. Be sure to leave this family-made hot cocoa for Santa on Christmas Eve!
At a certain age, children enjoy decorating their room for the holidays. One fun family Christmas activity is to encourage this decoration by letting the kids shop for items to put in their rooms and letting them do the decorating. Be sure to take a picture of them in their decorated room each year. They’ll enjoy looking at the pictures year after year.
Popularity: 2% [?]
by BlondieWrites on November 28, 2009
Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is a nice Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people and kids will enjoy making these Christmas crafts, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in these Christmas crafts as well.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for these Christmas crafts or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas crafts.
Popularity: 6% [?]
by BlondieWrites on July 26, 2009
At a time when it seems like families are being torn apart, it’s important to get closer to your teenager. How on earth do you do that when they’re changing every day? The following ideas and tips may be just what you need to get closer to your teen and realize that they really are wonderful.
As pre-teens reach their teenage years, you may feel like you’re revisiting their toddler years. They try to run from you and assert their independence; however, now they’re not merely seeking independence but also learning about who they are and what they have to contribute to the world. Even though they run away, the will still come back - although it may not be permanent. That’s why it’s so important to get closer to your teen now while you still have time.
Regardless of how busy you are, make time to spend with your teenager. This could mean taking off to the mall for a day of shopping, attending their extracurricular activities, or inviting their friends over for a day of movies and fun. You may also want to plan family activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. This could include miniature golf, going on a hike, or even ice skating. Pick an activity, or activities, that everyone can participate in and have a great time.
Doing chores together can also be a means to get closer to your teen. You may not think so, but standing at a sink full of dirty dishes and soapy water can actually be one of the best places to talk. You don’t have to concentrate too hard on the task at hand, but it can allow you to talk about things in a non-threatening way.
Cooking is another way to grow closer to your teenager while at the same time teaching them how to cook. You can show them how to plan a meal, cook it, and then serve it. This task may not seem very enjoyable, but it really can be a way to have fun with children and teenagers alike. You may even want to go so far as to help them go shopping for all the ingredients they need for the meal, but that’s entirely up to you.
Take time to laugh with your teen. Try to stay playful with them, much like you did when they were children. If nothing else, you can make an attempt and possibly get a smile out of them.
Be sure they know that you love them. They may balk at you trying to hug or kiss them on the cheek but they need your touch as much now as they did when they were smaller. It’s true, they might not reciprocate, but it’s important to convey your love to them in some tangible way. When you say “I love you” they may respond “Oh, Mom.” You’ll probably want to say it anyhow.
You can use chores like cooking or washing dishes to help you get closer to your teenager. Let your guard down and be transparent about some of the struggles you had as a teen. They may be more willing to talk realizing that you do understand what they’re going through. Then learn to listen to what your teen has to say rather than doing all the talking. Who knows, you may get closer to them and be on really good terms when they leave home and you can know you helped to raise this wonderful person.
Popularity: 2% [?]
by BlondieWrites on July 26, 2009
Gardening can be a great activity to share with your family. In fact, if you have a “plant your own vegetables” family day, not only can you spend quality time together, before long you’ll also have “fresh from your own garden” vegetables to enjoy and share with others. Maybe you’ve never gardened much; don’t let that stop you. With everyone in your family’s help, you can get a garden planned and planted.
If you’ve never gardened, there is quite a bit to learn before getting started. First, you’ll need to find out what planting zone you live in. This is easily done by asking at a nursery or by looking online. You’ll also want to know what type of soil you have in your yard. This will let you know what nutrients will need to be added before you can begin planting. You may want to visit someone who has been gardening for a while to learn from their experience in regard to how large a garden you need, what vegetables would be best to plant, and how many of each plant you’ll need to get the harvest you’d like.
Start with a plan. Vegetables won’t grow in the shade so you’ll need to seek out a place in the yard that gets full sunlight. When you have chosen the area, you get to pick out the vegetables you’ll plant. If this is your first garden, don’t go crazy. You may want to try spinach or lettuce, green beans, corn, and several varieties of tomatoes. For a family of four you would want to buy two packs of lettuce plants, two packs of green beans, a package of corn, and three to four tomato plants per variety.
There are two ways you can lay out a garden. You can plant everything in rows of a single vegetable per row. You can also create square foot gardens where you break the total size of the garden into squares of one foot or more. Find out more about this type of gardening by getting a book from the library or checking online.
For the number of vegetables you’ll be planting, an 8’ x 10’ or 8’ x 12’ garden would be perfect. You don’t want to make the garden so large that you’ll be frustrated caring for it, but you do want it to be large enough to accommodate the plants as they grow.
Spread the work out among each family member, keeping in mind each one’s abilities. One person can run the rototiller, another can pick up the rocks, and another can dig the holes for the plants, and another can water the plants in. The old saying “many hands makes light of work” can certainly pertain to a family working in a garden.
When you plant your own vegetable garden, be sure to have fun. Gardening doesn’t have to be a dreaded task that no one in the family wants to do. Encourage everyone to chip in and then the fruits of their labor at harvest time will taste all that much sweeter.
Popularity: 1% [?]
