Brown Baggin' It

This time of year we have lots of field trips that require packing a lunch. My preferred method of lunch packing is to grab a loaf of bread and sandwich meat and make them on site. Last week we attended an event at a location we visited before. Lunch was a bit rushed last time so I made the sandwiches ahead of time.

After I made the sandwiches, I was trying to figure out how to keep them dry and keep them from getting squished. I remembered some plastic shoe boxes I had purchased for the girls' closet and the sandwiches fit perfectly.

I was able to place all nine sandwiches in the box and I really think it could hold 12 without fitting tight. The best part was the box fit perfectly on top on our water bottles in the cooler. I still had a bag with applesauce, pineapple, napkins, etc but it was so nice to not have to deal with multiple containers.

 

We have this wonderful cooler made by Igloo on wheels. The kids can pull it for me and I can have my hands free to deal with everything else moms need to keep up with. I purchased the cooler from Amazon last fall.

 

{It seems I am frequently asked how I do various tasks. I'm a member of a wonderful online community and have friend who are always willing to share their successes {and failures}. I plan to share a few of the things that work for me over the next few weeks. Most of my ideas are not original creations, they have morphed from places like Pinterest and Facebook. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel and I'm more than willing to share how I made it work for me. If you would like to know how I do something, leave a comment, send an e-mail, etc. I'll be more than happy to work up a post on the topic. You can e-mail at Stacy at TheresRoomForMore.com .}

 

 

Jewelry Organization and Amazon Mom

One of my favorite places to shop is the discount jewelry store. Of course, frequent shopping also means my costume jewelry collection is rapidly expanding. My sister brought me this shadow box a few years ago from Hobby Lobby.

It does a fabulous job keeping my necklaces and thinner bracelets straight. The shadow box has a foam back in to which I inserted straight pins. The pins hold two - three necklaces with ease. The other nice feature of the shadow box is the hinged lid. This keeps everything covered.

 

The shadow box left me needing something to hold earrings. I recently used a command adhesive hook to hang this 37 compartment jewelry organizer that I purchased from Amazon. It is double sided and I have one pair of earrings in each space. This is also wear I store my watch and bracelets that are too wide for the shadow box. Both the hanging organizer and shadow box live in my semi walk-in closet.

Speaking of Amazon, Have you joined Amazon Mom yet? Right now, all new subscribers can receive $10 off a box of diapers! Amazon will also notify you of special discounts in the baby center. I have used Amazon Mom for the last 2+ years. I order diapers, wipes, shampoo, conditioner, snacks, paper towels, washing machine cleaner, diaper rash cream, detangler spray and lot more items using their subscribe and save program. The subscribe and save program can save you up to 15% off the regular Amazon price. On diapers you can save 20%! The UPS man drops everything off at my door for even less than what WalMart charges. There is also no tax in my state which adds to the savings. {I am not an affiliate for Amazon, I just really, really, really like their program and service!}

Want some more great tips? Head over to We Are That Family and join in the Works For Me Wednesday fun!

You can also checkout Raising Homemakers for some great homemaking tips.

{It seems I am frequently asked how I do various tasks. I'm a member of a wonderful online community and have friend who are always willing to share their successes {and failures}. I plan to share a few of the things that work for me over the next few weeks. Most of my ideas are not original creations, they have morphed from places like Pinterest and Facebook. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel and I'm more than willing to share how I made it work for me. If you would like to know how I do something, leave a comment, send an e-mail, etc. I'll be more than happy to work up a post on the topic. You can e-mail at Stacy at TheresRoomForMore.com .}

These Are a Few of My Favorite Apps

I know the world remained on it's axis and spun at the correct speed before the invention of smartphones. I also know that millions of people have gone and will go their entire lives and never touch one. For me, I'm incredibly thankful for my smart phone. I would like to share a few apps that in some way have made my life a little easier. I do own an Android phone but I'm sure most, if not all, of these apps are available for Apple as well. Most of these apps are free but I did pay for a few of them or upgrade to the pro version.

 

My phone often functions as my brain. I'm sure any busy mom can agree that when children enter the picture, your memory seems to leave. My phone helps me get everyone fed and clothed, keep them warm and dry, and make sure I remember their birthdays {I'm not that bad - yet!}. I thought I'd share a few apps that make my life as a busy, homeschooling, large family mom easier.

 

 

 

So, here they are in no particular order {other than the order the pictures uploaded} . . .

 

 Calengoo

 

I already discussed menu planning here and this app aids with that task. Calengoo was the easiest calendar app to add an iCal link. My menu is on each day. If I open the day, I can then click a link for the recipe. My family doesn't do individual activities so I don't use the color coding feature in it but that would be a great asset if running different schedules. I can link my calendar with Kent's. When I add an activity it shows up on his calendar as well.

 

 

You Version Bible App

 

You Version has an awesome Bible app. I prefer reading from my paper Bible but when I forget to grab it when sitting to nurse {I always have my phone when I nurse - more on that later}, You Version is convenient to look up something or continue my daily Bible reading. The app also has various plans, versions and languages. Several versions do not require an Internet connection. The app has audiobook capabilities. You can search by topic, word or verse.

 

 

Out of Milk 

 

I have been using Out of Milk for about two years now. I love having a shopping list app on my phone. I never leave home without my phone, so now I never leave home without my shopping list. The app allows for multiple lists to be set up. I can keep an ongoing Sam's list, Dollar Tree list, and general list. As soon as I realize I'm out of something I can add it to the list. The lists can be rearranged so that my items are in order based on the store layout. Items are checked off as I go through the store.  You can even keep a running pantry list and create to-do lists.

 

KAIT 8 Weather

 

Every busy mom needs a weather app. If you live in the Mid-South, this app from Channel 8 is great. Multiple cities can be added so the forecast can be found quickly. It has radar, 10-Day and hourly forecasts.

 

 

 Blogger

 

My reasons for liking this app are fairly easy to determine. I don't compose many posts using the Blogger App but I can upload pictures and screenshots from my phone. It's a much easier way to share items from my phone.

 

Evernote 

 

Evernote is an app that gets to be my brain. I like that it can be accessed from anything with an Internet connection. I keep ongoing lists of books the kids would like to have, packing lists for field trips and picnics, and gift lists. This past Christmas I numbered the kids' gifts and kept the code on Evernote.

 

App Lock

 

App Lock's name is pretty explanatory. This app locks any app  I choose or all apps on my phone with a four digit pin. Currently I have any app that can spend money {Play Store, Amazon, etc} locked so that little hands can't order a new wardrobe with the click of a button. I also locked any app with personal information, such as Evernote.

 

 

Flixster

 

Flixster is an app that I don't use often but it's really handy when I do. I have programmed movie theatres close to our home. With a click I can see what movies are currently showing. It has showtimes and trailers. I can even read reviews from multiple sources. If I see something we would like to watch, I can also add it to our Netfix que right from Flixster.

 

Baby ESP (Eat, Sleep, Poop) 

 

This app is the reason I always have my phone when nursing.  It can be used to track nursing time/side, bottles, pumping,  wet/dirty diapers, and sleep. It also has a place to track growth and medicine dosing {with timers!}. When several children are sick, it's easy to forget who had Tylenol when. Baby ESP will even send me a reminder telling me it's time for an antibiotic. You can add custom tracking. If you want to know how much time baby spent in the swing, keep up with it using Baby ESP! At various points I have added 5 of my children and it will still allow me to add more. This a perfect app for a mom with one child or a dozen children.

 

 

 Motivated Moms

 

Motivated Moms is a chore app. Each day I have reminders to do various tasks. Some tasks are assigned daily such as make beds, do laundry, and run/empty dishwasher. There are also tasks that are assigned weekly like vacuum main rooms, wash sheets, mop kitchen. There are even more tasks assigned on a less frequent basis - change AC filter, clean light fixture - living room, etc. I love that I don't have to try to keep up with these things. I just pull out my phone and look at the days list. 

 

A through the Bible in a year reading plan is also part of the app. Each task can be removed or hidden if it isn't something you do {no guest room - block those tasks}. Custom tasks can also be added, these are completely customizable. You can specify room and frequency.

 

Each room is grouped together and completed tasks are moved to the bottom of the list.  Chores can even be assigned to different members of the household. Each member receives their own color {see, all the smart people color code ;-) }and their tasks are separated from the others.  I've been using this app since October and I am slowly getting to all the things I tend to forget, like ceiling fans and cleaning the freezer.

 

 

Amazon

 

I have mentioned in the past my love for Amazon.  This app enables me to check prices quickly and place orders very easily. When making out a shopping list, I look over the weekly ads that come in the paper. Before adding an item to my list, I check the price on Amazon. If Amazon is within a dollar or two, I order the item from Amazon. It gets shipped to my door and I don't have to load up children or drive anywhere. If the price is less than Amazon's price, I add it to my list. The app even has a bar code scanner so I can make sure I'm comparing identical items.

 

All of these apps help me complete my tasks as manager of my home. Frequently my phone acts as my brain and helps me to remember things. It also places information right in my hand. Several of the apps I mentioned also cut down on paper use. It seems my lists always disappear to be discovered after I don't need them along with a pile of clutter. Anything that cuts down on the clutter that 9 people bring to a home is a winner in my book.

 

 

Want some more great tips? Head over to We Are That Family and join in the Works For Me Wednesday fun!

You can also checkout Raising Homemakers and Raising Arrows for some great homemaking tips.

{It sems I am frequently asked how I do various tasks. I'm a member of a wonderful online community and have friend who are always willing to share their successes {and failures}. I plan to share a few of the things that work for me over the next few weeks. Most of my ideas are not original creations, they have morphed from places like Pinterest and Facebook. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel and I'm more than willing to share how I made it work for me. If you would like to know how I do something, leave a comment, send an e-mail, etc. I'll be more than happy to work up a post on the topic. You can e-mail at Stacy at TheresRoomForMore.com .}

Color Coding - WFMW

Meet my new best friend!

As we've added more children, keeping up with everyone's things has become harder and harder. At Christmas we bought the kids some identical gifts and needed to be able to tell them apart. The boys have blankets that I made last year so we decided to carry the colors of the blankets over into other parts of their lives. The only downside - Kent says  they're going to have an aversion to their color when they're grown! I say, once they don't live here I don't care how they keep up with their stuff. :-)

It started with cups. I purchased these here. They were inexpensive and came in enough colors that I could have a different one for each of 7 children and have other options in the future. I ordered 6 of each color. I also decided to purchase them with lids and straws for use by Henry (3) and Mary Claire (2). Mary Claire still uses a sippy cup if she needs a portable drink. She doesn't drink enough for me to be comfortable not allowing a cup in the car. At home, she uses her pretty purple cup with lid. Liberty (10 months) doesn't quite have a handle on sippy cup usage so she'll wait a bit before getting her polka dot cup.

After cups, I started to realize all the ways duct tape could make anything color coded. Here I fixed water bottles for a picnic. Now I could know who drank theirs, who left the bottle on the ground/ in the van. It also ended the "Eww, gross! Someone got food in the water!".

I also color coded the coat racks by the back door. Even Mary Claire knows where each person's coat belongs. Each child gets two knobs with a piece of their duct tape in the middle. Griffin and Ben are very close in size and were fighting over jackets. Duct tape to the rescue yet again! I placed a piece of tape over the label. Since it's a jacket, the tape doesn't touch skin (due to the shirt underneath) and there is no more yelling "That's mine!".

 Pencils seem to disappear around here. I cut small pieces of tape and labeled those as well. I also decided to start charging the kids when they can't find a pencil. If they need another, they have to buy it from me. They also have to pay one another if they use someone else's pencil. It's amazing how our pencil consumption has drastically dropped.

My latest use for color coding is snack cups. The girls already had cups with their names. Liberty's {far left} is from The Shifty Fox. We have gotten tons of compliments on her owl insert. Mary Claire's cup {far right} came from The Pink Llama Shop. I love the combination of the pink and green. {I know the owner's of both boutiques personally. I can't say enough about the quality of the items you will receive if you order from either lady!} Though these are technically not the girls' colors they have their names so they are good enough.

The other cups came from Aunt Kristen. At Isaac's birthday party the "loot bag" was a snack cup the kids could fill with rainbow colored goldfish. The colors matched up perfectly for the boys. Since Madisyn is nearly 12, I let her use a baggie.

The best thing about the snack cups is once again, the arguments it ends. Each person gets their own cup. When it's empty, it's empty. No more "He got more than me!, She didn't share!, He spilled it!". Each person is responsible for their own. I also told them that if they lost their cup, there would be no snacks next time. Anything that keeps me from having to keep up with their stuff is a winner in my book.


Want some more great tips? Head over to We Are That Family and join in the Works For Me Wednesday fun!

You can also checkout Raising Homemakers for some great homemaking tips.

{It sems I am frequently asked how I do various tasks. I'm a member of a wonderful online community and have friend who are always willing to share their successes {and failures}. I plan to share a few of the things that work for me over the next few weeks. Most of my ideas are not original creations, they have morphed from places like Pinterest and Facebook. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel and I'm more than willing to share how I made it work for me. If you would like to know how I do something, leave a comment, send an e-mail, etc. I'll be more than happy to work up a post on the topic. You can e-mail at Stacy at TheresRoomForMore.com .}

Menu Planning

It seems I am frequently asked how I do various tasks. I'm a member of a wonderful online community and have friend who are always willing to share their successes {and failures}. I plan to share a few of the things that work for me over the next few weeks. Most of my ideas are not original creations, they have morphed from places like Pinterest and Facebook. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel and I'm more than willing to share how I made it work for me. If you would like to know how I do something, leave a comment, send an e-mail, etc. I'll be more than happy to work up a post on the topic.


For the last two years or so I've been using a service called Plan to Eat to complete my menu planning. Throughout the year, I've tried lots of different menu planning methods - rotating a set of 5 or 6 weekly menus, making menus using index cards and of course, the make it up as I go plan {NOT recommended ;-)}. Plan to Eat is the first thing that has worked long term.

When signing up for Plan to Eat, each subscriber receives 30 days to try out the program and decide if it is worth it for their family. There is a subscription fee of $5 per month or $39 per year. However, each Black Friday, the yearly subscription is offered at half price. I used the program for about a year as a monthly subscriber. I know that I saved way more than $5 by menu planning. Your recipes (or all those awesome ones you have pinned on Pinterest) and loaded into a database. If the recipe can be found online, it loads even easier. Since I started using the service most recipes found on blogs can now be loaded into your recipe book just by copying the URL.

Screen shot of my recipe book 

Recipes can be placed in to categories such as main dish, side dish, lunch, etc.  Recipes uploaded from the Internet can include pictures. Pictures of your existing recipes can also be uploaded. Once uploaded. recipes can be shared through social media, e-mailed or printed. Then using a simple click, drag and drop motion of the mouse you can place your desired meals in either breakfast, lunch, supper or snack categories.

I plan the same breakfast and lunch meals weekly. We don't always follow it daily but I don't have to think about what's for lunch. I know each Monday I have the ingredients to make 5 lunches for the week.

Recipes also have a rating system. When there are no leftovers, I go in and rate a recipe 5 stars so I'll know {and remember} it was a hit. When we hate something I rate it 1 star. Originally, I would delete it but then I would come across the recipe somewhere else and forget we didn't like it. So now I try to remember to rate meals.

Screen shot of my calendar

After recipes are dropped into the planner they can be accessed anywhere. An ical link is provided to make it easy to plug into any web-based calendar. I use the link on Google calendar and also programmed Kent's phone to load the save feed. Each day I can look at the calendar and see what is planned for the day. When I click on the meal, a link takes me back to the Plan to Eat website where the recipe is located. 



 Screen shot of the shopping list

The best part of the program is the shopping list. Plan to Eat automatically creates a list based on my menu. I can set the list for any specified amount of time I choose, or use the preprogrammed time of one week, two weeks or daily.  The program arranges the ingredients into categories. I do tend to shop in bulk so I look over the list weekly and pick up the things I need. I then add those to the shopping app on my phone (which I'll blog about later). The list can also be printed or e-mailed.

Another perk of Plan to Eat is the friends feature. You can link up with friends that are also using the program and share recipes. Love a recipe your friend is famous for? You can link accounts and share!

The links through out this post and the badge on the side bar are affiliate links. Click on them and you can become my Plan to Eat friend. I love sharing recipes and knowing what works and what doesn't.