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ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday #25

***Please read before linking.
There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***
To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.
To read my original “Doozy List,” read this post.
To read my “Summer Doozy List” read this post.

I cannot believe it has almost been a month since our last “AP Tuesday!”  As many of you know, I have been battling breast cancer.  I am so happy to be back to my normal self for the moment and enjoy an “AP Tuesday” with you!  Please know that I have missed them and I am going to do my best to host them every week.  On the weeks I am not able, I will direct you to another blog that will be hosting them for me.

To catch up on details of my health journey, see my sidebar.  All blog posts that have to do with cancer are filed under the pink ribbon button.  For a daily, detailed update, click on the Caring Bridge button and it will take you to my daily journal hosted there at Caring Bridge.

I have a couple things on my “Anti-Procrastination” list this week:
#1–make a haircut appointment
I did this today and will be getting my hair cut to a short bob on Wednesday, to make losing it in a week or two a bit easier of a process.

#2–make a nutritional supplement plan
 This is something that I have been working on since my diagnosis, but due to nausea and a muddled brain, it just was not feasible until now.  I am not ok just tackling this stuff from a medical standpoint only, although that is a decision that we have strongly made, due to the advanced and aggressive nature of my cancer.  I have, and will continue to use food and nutrition as a very important part of my treatment.  Today I had my lab work done and my my counts were normal, which is so very encouraging and pleased my doctor very much!

Ok, on to the fun…

New Nostalgia

By far, the most clicked on “AP Themed” post was:

This was so very inspiring.  I’m going to take advantage of my mom’s extra help and do something similar, cuz my crafts supplies have gotten out of control!
The most clicked on “Flexible Themed” post was:
DYI Fall Topiaries @ Decor Chick
She saw something similar at Micheal’s for 19.99, and decided to make her own for much cheaper.
 Very smart!
NewNostalgia


All right, let’s get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***
I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!
*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***”Anti-Procrastination” Themed:***
~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination



***Flexible Themed***
~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts

7
HOME

What I Buy And Why-Bob Mill Pancake Mix

Now that I am having chemotherapy treatments, I really don’t have the energy to cook for my family. We have been receiving some of the most wonderful meals from family and friends, which is just a super huge blessing!!
This morning, I woke up feeling pretty good except for some achiness. It is funny how the definition of feeling “good” changes with chemo…anything but knocked out flat on your back seems “good”:), so I wanted to do something that felt “normal.”  Making pancakes on a Saturday morning is very normal for me, and I knew I had this mix sitting there in my cupboard, which was enough to motivate me to make pancakes for the family.
I do have a pancake recipe that I love, but sometimes the ease and convenience of a mix is wonderful.  This one is organic, high in fiber and protein, and the flavor of the pancakes is spot on— delish. My family loves them.  They take an egg, oil and water.  I love that you can adjust the water amount to get just the right thickness of pancake.  We prefer thinner pancakes in this household.
The mix itself is higher priced when compared to others on the market, but what you get for your money is more than worth it.  The mix makes a ton of pancakes, your family will not only get full, but also nourished from the wonderful ingredients in the mix.  The cheaper mixes are full of white sugar and flour that do nothing for the family’s nutrition, so in the end, it is worth paying a bit more.
I only used less than half of the mix today, and it made 20 4″ pancakes!

Ingredients-all Organic Whole Grain Flours; Whole Wheat Pastry, Rye, Spelt, Corn, Oat, Kamut, Flaxseed Meal, Quinoa and Brown Rice Flour, and Organic Vital Wheat Gluten Flour, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Baking Powder and Sea Salt.

*I was not compensated to review this product.

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ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

No “Anti-Procrastination” Tuesday

Due to my health right now, I am not able to host “AP Tuesday.”

I know it will not be gone forever, or even that long for that matter, so keep checking in.  I am in the works of talking to another blogger friend about the idea of hosting it for awhile or taking turns hosting it with me.

“AP Tuesdays” is a highlight of my week, and so many of you have become so dear to me through it, so please don’t give up on participating, and know it will come back soon!

13
HOME/ Homemaking/ Organizing/ Simplifying

5 Minutes A Day To Control Areas Of Clutter

Sunroom Last Spring {after it was spring cleaned!}
You know those small areas in your home that tend to attract clutter?  The ones that, if left unattended, go from a small smoldering fire to a huge inferno within days?? Why does this happen?  Well, according to Flylady, it is because “CLUTTER ATTRACTS CLUTTER!”

 I recently have been spending just 5 minutes a day, focusing my attention to one of those areas, and like magic, they are starting to disappear or at least become a bit more controlled! It is great.

I have many spots in my house that I would consider “Hot Spots.”  Places that just scream, “leave stuff here, you can get it later” at every member of the family.  One of them is our desktop.  I am sitting at the desk writing this and on top of it right now are:
~earrings
~a half eaten burrito  (my lunch:))
~a vitamin C pill
~ ipod & earphones
~an invoice
~my phone
~the camera bag
~ a gardening book
It was completely cleared off last night, but within minutes stuff just takes over. If I do not take a couple minutes and “rescue”my desk top, it will be a large magnet attracting more clutter, and by the end of the night it will be a hot mess!

“Hot Spots” that often need rescued around here are:
a couple of desk drawers
my dining room table
a chair in my bedroom
an area on my kitchen counter in the corner
my trunk
the stairs
the sunroom
my pantry

Back to the “5 minutes a day” part.  I have been taking 5 minutes each day to focus on a “Hot Spot”(I made it part of my morning routine) and I have been amazed at what can be transformed in such a short amount of time!  The KEY is STOPPING after the 5 minutes are up.  In the past, I would not want to stop once I started.  It would eat up my whole day and I never, ever would want to do a “5 Minute Hot Spot” check again, because I turned minutes into hours.  Not anymore! I have been setting my timer, and stopping right when it goes off, even if the area is not finished. (Duh, right?:)) I tell myself there is always the “5 Minute Hot Spot” check tomorrow, and then go on with my day.


Today my “5 Minute Hot Spot” was my sunroom.  It easily becomes a dumping ground for my family as they walk in the door.  My girls are getting much better at not doing this, due to “pick up personals” on their charts.  Recently, it became a mess and clutter attracted clutter.  Then, because there was stuff in the way, I didn’t sweep it like I normally would.  When my daughter said “Mom, the sunroom looks like a bug cemetery” I  knew it was time to rescue my poor sunroom!


I set my timer for 5 minutes and:
~gathered up all the plastic bags for recycling
~moved the big black ball bag to the trunk (Todd takes the girls to the park almost nightly and they love having the bag of balls with them)
~put the pool float in the trunk to return to a friend
~put the bag of goodwill donations in my front passenger seat so I will HAVE to drop it off today
~swept the “bug cemetery” out to the front yard

Before:
After:
5 minutes made a big difference!
This is just one of a few techniques I use to keep my home in order.  I will be sharing the rest in future posts.

Where are your “Hot Spots?”
Do you have any techniques that you use to keep them under control?
Let me know how it goes if you try the “5 Minute Hot Spot” technique!!

10
ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday #24

***Please read before linking.
There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***
To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.
To read my original “Doozy List,” read this post.
To read my “Summer Doozy List” read this post.

This week I have been re- establishing our routines, and loving every minute of it.  I posted my Fall Morning Routine, My Kids Back To School Morning Routine, and My Kids Back To School Evening Routine. These posts have brought much traffic to the blog lately, it seems like a lot of us think alike and want to streamline our mornings now that school is back in session.

My Summer list is just about finished, so it is time to revamp my regular Doozy list.  I will put that on my things to do list this week. 
 Here are a few other things that I need to do, accountability please!!
~Get lettuce going in the garden–it may be too late??
~Call Mick for roof check–I have GOT to do this, fall/winter is coming!!
~Make bday decorations for oldest girls b’day! {Its a candy/cupcake theme.  Fun!}
~Make something with the insane amount of bananas in the freezer–any suggestions?



New Nostalgia
Winners Of  Last Week’s Most- Clicked- On “AP Link” In Order:

Great tips, I especially like #4 & #5.

Love those clear containers!
Super cute, I think my t-shirts need a little makeover like this one!
Now doesn’t that just make you smile?  Awesome.

She is already thinking about homemade Christmas gifts–that is inspiring!
Most Clicked On “Flexible Themed” Posts, In Order:

This is an awesome post.  Her dad made her 6! lazy susan’s to use in her new pantry.  Isn’t it pretty?

Click on through, she found all kinds of uses for chalkboard paint!

I just love it…what a statement!  

Isn’t that the greatest rug?  Isn’t is such a cheery room?  Love.
NewNostalgia 

All right, let’s get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***
I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!
*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***”Anti-Procrastination” Themed:***
~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination




***Flexible Themed***
~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts

10
FAMILY/ HOME/ Kids/Family/ Organizing/ Parenting/ Simplifying

Kids Back To School Evening Routine

I posted our “Kid’s Back To School Morning Routine” here, and got many requests for our evening routine, so here it is.  It may be helpful for you to read the Morning Routine post, as I go into detail about how GREAT routines and charts have been for our family, and how we enforce them.

 I made our charts online at this great site, it was SUPER easy to just follow directions, fill in the blanks, and push print.  

Then I had them laminated, and we hung them on our Chore Board with magnets. They use dry erase markers or dry erase crayons (did you know there was such thing? We love them!) to mark off as they go.  

Kid’s Back To School Evening Routine

~Snack

~Fill Water Bottle/Put In Refrig

~Pick Up Personals

~Brush/Floss/Rinse

~Clean Up Bathroom Sink Area

~Pajama’s

~Dirties Into Hamper

~Clean Clothes Hung Up

~Outfit For Tomorrow

~5 Minute Room Rescue

~Devotions

~Pray

 

Snack-a habit we started when they were young, now I wish we had not!  It is a small snack, fruit or crackers/cheese, etc.

Pick Up Personals–I talked about how this is one of my favorite routines when I wrote about the Morning Routine.  They go into each room of the house and find anything that they left out and put it away.  No longer am I bending over a thousand times picking up after others!

Brush/Floss/Rinse–we are strict about this, as our girls get cavities way too easily!  

Clean Up Sink Area–we had to add this because I got so sick of seeing toothpaste globs in the sink!  Yuck.

Pajama’s–I’ve been seeing too many pajama’s in the dirty clothes, that do not seem dirty. I think I will teach them the “keep your jammies under your pillow” trick.  

Dirties In Hamper–this step really helps keep the rooms picked up

Clean Hung Up–so does this one! I have shown them that there are certain items of clothing that I want them to wear twice before washing (like jeans) if they look and smell ok. 🙂  Guess they need a refresher when it comes to pajamas!

5 minute Room Rescue–They do this in the morning, too.  They set the timer and “rescue” their room (pick it up).  Their rooms do not frighten me anymore..

Devotions–they do these on their own.  We have loved this for my youngest (7 yrs old) and these for my 11 & 9 year old.

Pray–Todd and I take turns with which girl we pray with.  It is precious time, just a quick few minutes, and usually a little back gets scratched in the process which they think is heaven!

 

To keep them on task, most nights we have to set a timer.  If they do not get their routine done by a certain time, they do not get their points for our allowance system.  

They can get it done in 30ish minutes-sometimes the devotions take a little longer.  Some nights when we are out later in the evening, we will skip the room rescue and devotions, which makes the routine is about 10-15 minutes.  

Their room will be rescued in the morning, and we still pray with them, so a night without a devotion once in awhile is fine.  

***How I decide what should be added to a routine is pretty simple.  If I find myself nagging about something repetitively, or frustrated that I have to do it when I know they are capable, (like cleaning toothpaste globs out of the sink!) then it should go on the chart. 

Hope this is helpful!!  

9
Frugal/ HOME/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Healthy Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

These are so very easy to make, and my kids’ excitement over them made me feel like “Mother Of The Year!”  I’ve seen a few recipes and methods across blog land and have wanted to make them for some time now. The easy tutorial and beautiful photos over at “The Little Red House,” plus a bowl of apricots quickly becoming past their prime in my refrigerator, was enough to get me to do it.  I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner!

I have been appalled by how expensive 100% natural fruit roll ups and fruit leathers are at the store.  When we visit our local health food co-op, my girls beg me to buy them a fruit leather.  I cringe if they are not on sale, and even on sale, they are outrageous.  One 2″x 5″ strip of fruit leather costs anywhere from a $1.00-$1.29 at our store. The cheapest I have found them is on Amazon for about 50 cents each. I buy them occasionally because at least it is not candy, but I buy it with a “grr” on my brain!

The regular fruit roll ups at the grocery store are not 100% fruit have artificial colors, flavors, and high fructose corn syrup–all things I try to avoid. (click here to read why high fructose corn syrup and I are not very good friends).

 

  I love that instead of wasting fruit that is getting mushy, I can just mush it up more and turn it into fruit leather!

 

Ingredients:

4 cups Apricots 

Squeeze Of Lemon Juice

2-3 Tbls Sweetener of choice (agave nectar, sugar, sucanant)

 

*I’m sure other types of fruit can be used, I will let you know what other fruit I have success with.

How I Made Healthy, Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

~I started with 9 apricots (they cost me $1.69!)

 

~Washed them

 

~Took out the pits

 

~Cut them into fourths

 

~Put them in a pan on the stove

 

~Squeezed the juice of one lemon over apricots

 

~Add sweetener if desired. (depends on the sweetness of your fruit.  I added 3 Tbs of pure cane sugar)

 

~Cooked on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, smashing them and stirring once in awhile. 

 

~Put cooked apricots into my food processor (I’m sure you could use a blender)

 

~Pureed them until smooth- it looks like baby food

 

~Spread them out on freezer paper on top of a cookie sheet (can use waxed paper) (**see below for thickness comment)

 

~Put them in the oven for about *4-5 hours (150 degrees is recommended, the lowest my oven went was 170 degrees)

 

~Took them out, let them cool 

 

~Cut them into strips and rolled em’ up

 

~Stored in a mason jar.  (or Ziplock bag or any airtight container)

*I put them in the oven after dinner and took them out right before I went to bed.  I let them sit out on the counter all night, then cut and rolled in the morning.  

 

**The only thing I would do different is spread my pureed apricots just a tad bit thicker next time.  I think it would work better for me since my oven’s lowest temperature is 170 degrees.  It was harder to get the paper off at the thin edges, which is where you need it to be the easiest!  Other than the thinner edges, these turned out perfect, I just had to cut about an inch off all around where it was too thin–such a waste!

 

I am eager to experiment with these.  I want to try a batch with no added sugar and see what it does.  I’m sure the amount of sweetener will depend on personal tastes and how sweet your fruit is. I personally liked that our apricot fruit roll ups were a bit tart, so I will avoid the sugar as much as possible. I can’t wait to use different kinds of fruits, I have a ton of pureed strawberries (thanks to this fun day) in my freezer, so next will be strawberry fruit roll ups!  I let you know how it goes.

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