Roll It Up

This is how the menfolk in our family store their pants. We roll them up and stick them in the drawers in rows like this. They can pull out the exact pair they want without rifling through the drawer and messing everything up. When they were younger, I would roll up a t-shirt, underwear, and pair of socks inside the pants. Then they could just grab a roll and be all set for the day. The bigger they have gotten, the more they like to choose which t-shirt to wear with which pair of pants, so only the pants are rolled now. I do pack for trips using the outfit in a roll concept though.

Check out other great tips here.

Tough Love

I've really been trying to get more exercise into my day. I've discovered that if I don't do it first thing in the morning, it just doesn't happen. However, what I like to do, love to do, want to do first thing in the morning is drink a big ol' cuppa joe and check email/blog/facebook in my slippers! So, I made a deal with myself. I CANNOT go on the computer (or have my coffee) until I do my workout. It really is tough love. It seems to be working. So far.

Check out other great tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

Shop Vac

Several years ago, we ripped all the carpet out of the living areas of our house. We put in laminate flooring. Ever since then, I've been struggling with how to clean it. I tried several vacuums that had "bare floor" settings, but they never seemed to work that great. For the last few years, I've been using one of these

We call it R2D2 because of the way it follows me around the house like a little robot. I've never used the "wet" feature of my wet/dry vac, but its good to know the option is available if the spills get out of control. You can also get lots of great attachments for it, including one to clean your computer keyboard!! That's what works for me!

Laundry Schedule

I have a laundry schedule.

Every person in our family has an assigned laundry day. Each family member has a laundry basket in their room. They keep all their dirties in there. On their scheduled laundry day, I remind them to bring the basket out to the laundry room. I wash and dry their clothes (and if I'm feeling especially energetic, I'll even fold them). Then I return the basket full of clean clothes to them and they put them away. After I've done the scheduled laundry, I throw in whatever else needs done (towels, sheets, rugs, wrestling gear, etc). Now, here is the payoff of my system..................my laundry room is closed on Sunday. CLOSED. What better motivator to keep myself on "schedule" than being able to take a whole day off! That's what works for me.

Check out other great tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

Blog Search

I stumbled upon something new last week and I am loving it. I'm sure most of the world is already aware of it, but on the off chance there is someone as behind the times as me, I wanted to share.

Google Blog Search

Blog Search is a Google search focused on blogs. It is a great way to search for blogs and blog posts that share your interests. It allows you to search on whatever topic or subject you can think of.

Try It!

Be sure to check out all the other tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

Shopping List

I don't like to run out of things.

I only go grocery shopping once a week. I refuse to go more than that.

In order to keep our house fully supplied AND not make frequent trips to the store, I keep this notepad on the refrigerator.

I have my family trained to write something down on the list whenever they use something up. I keep extras of the basics in the pantry or linen closet. So, when they go to get a new ketchup out of the pantry or bottle of shampoo out of the closet, they head directly to the list . As in straight to the list. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Then when I do my weekly shopping I pick up the items on the list. Even the younger ones are able to copy from the label in order to add an item to the list. They can also add things to the list like socks, underwear, toothbrush, etc.

Be sure to check out all the other tips at Rocks In My Dryer.