Wonder Woman Wednesday- Get Your Pots Together!

Let's say you are the woman that has her kitchen all together.  In less than 5 seconds, you can pull out your medium saucepan with matching lid.  You're so organized your husband can easily navigate through the kitchen when you're not home.  You can find your big pasta pot without emptying the entire cabinet onto the floor.  Sound like you?  Then go away!  This post is not for you!  Just kidding...you can stick around as long as you don't comment about how perfect your kitchen is.😉

When we moved into my childhood home, I knew space would not be an issue.  My kitchen is ginormous!  Cabinet space is amazeballs!  But I still needed to organize my pots and pans.  Growing up, my mom had a deep cabinet (with a sliding shelf) and a tall cabinet next to the pantry that stored her pots and pans.  You had to look in both spots when looking for a pot.  I decided I was only using the deep cabinet for our pots and pans.  I went to a home improvement store to buy those racks you stack your skillets in.  I mean, they worked great in that perfect Pinterest kitchen I saw!  After they sat on the counter for a year (slightly longer), I decided to use them.    Lesson 1: when you buy those things, make sure they will fit in your cabinets.   So they continue to sit on the counter... 

 Plan B only cost $1!  I cleaned out the cabinet and gathered all the lids.  My skillets and saucepans sit stacked neatly on the sliding shelf.  On the bottom sits my big pasta pot, 2 Dutch ovens and a new red bin that holds my lids!  It was that simple!!  Buy a red bin from Dollar Tree... Problem solved.

After I finished I sat there thinking, "Why did I pin 5 thousand ways to organize this cabinet?"  I didn't use any of them!  

So here's the motivation you need to get organized!  We are starting small-just pots and pans.  You could do it in a Friday night or Saturday morning.  Each week in March, I will challenge you to one spot in your kitchen to get organized.  A sliding shelf and a dollar store bin might not be enough to solve your chaos, so work with the desired space and make it work for you!

Next week, we tackle the fridge!!!

                       

 

Happy Organizing friends! 

Hugs y'all,

Melissa @The Lone Star Ginger

Wonder Woman Wednesday-Oh Snap! What's for Dinner?!

If you are new to the blog, Wonder Woman Wednesday is all about building you up.  It's midweek, I've "screwed up" countless times, forgotten something important, etc.  Whatever it was has messed up my week and I am bummed.  (Insert the Wonder Woman Wednesday blog!!)  Once I start writing this particular blog, I immediately start to feel better and realize the mistakes weren't that big of a deal.  For this blog I will change up the dynamics a little.  I will start to feature real life Wonder Women, organizing tips (that I have ACTUALLY tried), quick recipes (that I have ACTUALLY tried) and motivational "stuff" to get you through the week.

So for this week, I thought I would give you my tried and true tips for organizing a meal plan.  Don't you hate it when you get home late, and you are scrambling to make dinner from apple pie filling and a can of green beans? (Completely hypothetical!)  With school starting back up, most of us are going to be running on fumes by mid-September.  Kids' activities, homework, housework, work, etc all get in the way of you making a fabulous meal for your family at least 5 nights a week.  Last January, I decided I was going to make a meal plan for the entire month!  I found that my grocery bill was cheaper (on average $50 cheaper a week!) and my stress level was decreased.  Now before you start with the excuses of why you can't prepare a month's worth of meals, let me stop you.  Yes you can!  I have a husband, 2 kids in sports and run two small businesses so if I can do it, so can you.  Take one Fri or Saturday night, sit down with all your family's favorite recipes, your calender for the month (with the extra activities on it... ie, games, practices, etc), your Pinterest board of recipes and a piece of notebook paper.  Number your paper 1-31 (or however many days are in the month) and just start writing dinner plans on each line.  If you won't be home one night for dinner because of Johnny's football game, write "EAT OUT" or something like that.  I think my first meal plan took me around 45 minutes to plan.  The months after that were around 30 minutes or less.  Now that you have a meal plan, create a notebook with ALL those recipes in there. (SIDE NOTE:  I made my sister one for her birthday that was categorized: chicken, meat. pasta, sides, desserts...)  That way you have one spot to gather all your ingredients for the grocery list. I usually grocery shop on Fridays so I make sure to sit down Thursday night and make my list.  I get out my handy dandy recipe notebook with my month's meal plan and write out my list.  I double check the pantry and fridge to make sure I don't buy too many duplicates.  I pull out coupons that go with items on the list.  I also make a note beside the item on my list that I have a coupon for it.

Here was my March meal plan.  As you can see there are scratch out marks from changes that were made through the month.  If I try out a new recipe and we DO NOT like it, I scratch it off and it never comes back!  I try to keep easy quick meals during the week and more labor intensive ones on the weekends.  So there you have it!  How to prepare your meal plan for the entire month!!  You eat out less, less impulse buy at the grocery store and your family is healthier!!  Hope this helps you out as the kids start back to school and the schedules get busier!

Hugs y'all!

LSG

Wonder Woman Wednesday

Welcome to the first Wonder Woman Wednesday featuring a real life Wonder Woman!!  A couple of times a month, I will feature an amazing woman ( not just moms; any WOMAN).  To start off July, I thought I would invite Melanie to feature.  She is pretty amazing!  Melanie included some great tips to keep you amazing! She has included links to her adorable blogs that are always full of great ideas!!  Be sure to check them out.

It is important to note that I do not invite these amazing women to guest blog to put the rest of us to shame.  I know for one that when I get on Pinterest and Facebook, I feel like a terrible mom, wife, woman, etc because I don't compare to "THAT MOM."  It is important for us all to see that "the struggle is real..."  Most of us struggle with a healthy balance with all the things we juggle. The WW Wednesday is meant to unite us, provide a little humor and empower you to take on the world!!  Enjoy!!

Hey, y’all! I am so excited that Melissa had asked me to do a guest post! She is one amazing lady, so I feel like it is an honor!! I mean… she is a speech pathologist, runs a fabulous boutique, is a blogger, and is pretty stinkin’ cute!!!! So thanks, Melissa!!

I guess I will start off by introducing myself. My name is Melanie. I am a 31 year old follower of God, wife, and mommy to a 6 year old and a 4 year old (who is going on 16). I am also a middle school counselor which I love and a have a personal blog (www.whatshappeningintheackerfamily.blogspot.com) and a professional blog (www.stylishschoolcounselor.blogspot.com). I am a lover of fashion, addicted to Starbucks, obsessed with anything from the 50’s, New York City, Or Paris, and I love spending time with my sweet family and friends.

 

I never realized how much of a balancing act it would be to be a working mom and wife. I am a busy person by nature. I love being involved and always moving yet even with that outlook, there are days that are so tough….days I forget things, days I feel like a hot mess, and days that I feel like I am going crazy. Through the past 8 years, I have learned some basic truths in my life that are musts. I still struggle with doing them each day but they make each day a little easier.

 

#1 Take time for you

As a counselor, this is something we remind people to do yet we have a hard time remembering to do ourselves. For me, taking time for me may be a quick drive to Starbucks listening to my favorite Spotify playlist or going to get a pedicure. A lot of times it may be reading my bible or reflecting on the day with a cup of hot tea. This brings me to the next thing that helps me balance it all…

#2 Make sure you have support

I couldn’t find success in anything if it weren’t for my husband. He watched Grayson as a baby when I was in grad school until 10 p.m. He helped every step of the way with the kids. He makes dinner when I have to stay late for something. He is there to talk things through with me and help me make decisions. He is my best friend and without his support, this gig would be rough. Whether it’s a husband, best friend, family member, or boyfriend…having a reliable, trustworthy support system is so important.

 

#3 Be a planner and stay organized

The only way I can half way juggle this crazy, blessed life of mine is with a whole lot of planning and to do lists. I can count 3 to do lists I have going right now. Whether it is something thekids need, a reminder to make an appointment, something Joey needs me to do, or an idea for blogging…I jot it down. I also write everything down and my hubby and I try to go over upcoming stuff at the beginning of the week so we know what we have coming.

 

#4 Have fun and stay positive!

This is one of the things I have to remind myself of. Life is not perfect and I will make mistakes. I have to realize that there will be crazy times and tough times. Will I totally get grumpy and do an ugly cry? Yes. But knowing that I am not guaranteed the next day and I have to enjoy each day as it comes and the blessings I have been given. We can spend our days worrying, upset over mistakes, or we can learn from it and have an optimistic outlook!

 

I am so glad I had a chance to get to share what helps me as a working momma. Now is there a laundry room full of clothes that need to be put away? Yes. But I think I will choose my battles. Cuddles with the kids over laundry wins every time!