Wonder Woman Wednesday: Am I the Only One? Technology vs Paper Calendar

                   

I consider myself a person of this decade.  I have Facebook and Instagram.  I overload my Pinterest boards with pins I will never do.  I can navigate my computer, phone and IPad...all at the same time if needed.  I don't have Twitter because I think it might be overload on social media.  I don't snapchat or Vine because I think I am a little too old for those.  But there's one thing I prefer to do "old school."  No, I don't churn my own butter! (But I like the idea!).   I have an actual, real life paper calendar that I keep my weekly appointments in.  I have to take a pen/pencil and HANDWRITE my appointments in every week! (Gasp!!).   No schedule goes into my phone.  Not one appointment.  I have attempted to be tech savvy and keep things on my phone calendar.  I don't like it.  Want to know why?

1.  I'm a visual person.  I like to see my entire week at one glance.  When I can see Monday thru Friday's work schedule, I can easily find my open slots to add more clients or a meeting quickly. 

2.  My days are not always the same.  I am in different places everyday and clients aren't always the same.  So I need to have a quick reference in the mornings.  This also where I tend to keep my "to do" list.

3.  As a private speech therapist, I do all my own billing.  It's much easier to check off a client after I have billed them.  For private pay clients, it's easy to write a check number next to the sessions they've paid for.   I keep notes in my weekly calendar about client visits and things to try for the next time.

4.  I actually like the feel of my appointment book.  I like actually taking a pen to write in appointments.  While I am on the phone, I can still look at my calendar to schedule things.  I like looking back on Friday and seeing everything I accomplished that week.

5.  Since I document so much in my calendars, I keep them for a time period.  They go up in a cabinet so they are out of the way.  I keep them for at least 5 years.  

Everyone has their way of keeping themselves on track for the day.  I realize lots use the calendar in their phone.  Maybe one day I will convert.  But for right now, I am happy with my pencil and paper.

Hugs y'all,

Melissa

Wonder Woman Wednesday- Kitchen Challenge...the last leg!

                 

I am combining two weeks into one post today!  Last week, with my kids on spring break, I didn't get as much as I should have done.  Surprise, surprise!!  If you remember, last week's challenge was supposed to be organizing the pantry.  Here's a few tips for tackling that area!

1.  Clean out!  Get rid of expired foods.  If you stocked up on canned veggies 6 months to 1 year ago in the hopes of healthier eating, donate some or all of it! Be honest with yourself about what you actually need in there.  

2.  Take note of your space!  If you have a shoebox size pantry, obviously you can't buy EVERYTHING in bulk.  Some people use their basements for storing bulk.  In Texas, we don't have basements.  So unless you have a larger extra space, keep the size of your pantry in mind.  Crammed pantries don't stay tidy for long!

3.  Categorize!!!  Group cans together, keeping each type together.  For example, I buy Rotel in bulk.  All my canned foods can go on one shelf but, the Rotel stays together on that shelf.  That way I know when I am out (which rarely happens!) by just glancing in the pantry.  

4.  Use baskets, bins, jars!  Keep them cheap though.  I love dollar store containers.  Make sure your containers fit on the shelves.  Nothing worse than buying great baskets that don't fit!!!  Keep your pasta in one, oatmeal in another, bags of rice,etc.  Make sure to label everything!!

Now that your pantry is tidy, let's get to cleaning!  Everyone has their preference on cleaning supplies.  I like to pull everything off my counters in sections to throughly clean the counters.  I bleach my sink and let my self-cleaning oven do it's thing.  Whatever your method is, get to it!  Then stand back and enjoy the smell of a clean kitchen!  Don't forget to mop the floor!

               

                      That's my clean kitchen!  Hoping it lasts through the week!

Hugs y'all,

Melissa

 

Wonder Woman Wednesday: Operation Fridge Clean Up

Have ever you opened the fridge and a herd of eggs came flying at you?  Splat!!  On the floor are your freshly bought eggs...  You get mad.  You may yell.  Then you start purging anything that might even be close to expiring!  Oh, this only happens to me?

                    

Chaos in my house drives me crazy.  A messy fridge has become a new pet peeve of mine.  Water bottles everywhere...applesauce forgotten about...10 bags of grated cheese because I forget I what I have so I buy a new bag every time...  Now everything has a place.  

Everyone has a different way of setting up their fridge so I won't go through all my shelves.  But, here's some helpful hints-dollar store plastic bins!  The big red one holds at least 14 small water bottles.  When my daughter's basketball team comes over, I can take the whole bin out and place on the table with a little ice over them.  In one of my crisper drawers, there are 2 small bins (not pictured).  One holds all my cheeses, grated or sliced.  Now I know what I have and what I need.  The other small bin holds my garlic cloves and onion.  Cokes go on the drink rack and tada!

Having the bins also makes it easier to know when things are out.  I can glance in the fridge and know what needs to go on the grocery list.  Life instantly made easier!!!

Remember March is the kitchen organization challenge.  So your task for this week is your fridge!  Clean it, empty it, stock and organize it!  Make it smell purdy and (in my case) replace the light bulb!

Happy Organizing!

Hugs y'all!

Melissa 

 

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