Mama Knows best- Toilet cleaning

We as mamas have to be innovative and thrifty all in the same beat. Some how we find new ways of doing things that save us money, time and maybe if we are really blessed.... sanity!

I have to say cleaning toilets is one of my least favorite things. I hate the whole thing....yuck! One of the things that I hate the most is that I getting the brush to and from the garage. (Where we keep the cleaning supplies.)

I can either..

1.) Try to run as fast as I can while the brush drips some yucky crude on my floor or worse me!

2.) I keep it in some toilet holder which makes me cringe. A nice little yellow crust begins to form on the bottom. I am gagging a little just talking about it.

My darling hubbie has come up with the perfect solution and I think I love him a little more for it!

He takes our Kroger milk jugs and makes them into disposable toilet brush holder.

It has a handle, there is no dripping and when it starts to get yucky, we throw it away.

Have I mentioned that I love my hubby? :)

Do you have a money/time/sanity tip to share? E-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

Bob Evans helps you with your resolutions!!

If you are anything like me, you always vow to lose a little weight around the first of the year. Then real life hits. We are busy and life comes at you fast. We find ourselves staring down at nuggies and fries and vowing to do better tomorrow!

Go here to read all about it and to enter to win some great goodies!!!

Tales of a desperate housewife - They day I wanted to disappear

I have a strong willed child. He is not mean or a fit thrower. He is stealth strong willed. As in, I will plant my feet and smile at you sweetly but I am not changing my mind, sister. Its often a battle of the wills. Two firstborns having a staring contest. Scary stuff.

So when we were potty training, I knew it would consist of alot of prayer.

Number 1 potty training went surprisingly smooth. Like a chicken, I waited till the last possible minute before preschool. Like an answered prayer, he stepped up to the plate and cooperated.

I wish I could say the same for #2.....

For some reason, my beautiful boy decided in his mind that going #2 in the potty was simply not for him. We tried EVERYTHING.

We tried discipline, acting like we didn't care, Rewards, stickers, anything we could think of. NOTHING worked. We even used toddler peer pressure. "But, baby all your cousins and your friends use the potty!!" In which is reply was "Uh, huh that's good, you change me."

Preschool was really fun. At first I did what any mama would do... I sent him in pull ups and prayed like my life depended on it. Of course my boy could have cared less. If the urge hit, he went. Whether it was on the playground, sitting in the circle, in the car or home. No hiding in the corner, embarrassed. He just went on about his day, smelling up the place.

I have to tell you that I was half crazy. I dreaded preschool pick up time like I was marching to my death. I could tell by the teachers face whether he had went or not. We even had a "meeting" about it at parent teacher conferences. She was very very sweet but I wanted to crawl under the table. She then told me that he had to start wearing big boy undies...no pull ups allowed. I think I peed a little in my pants. I assured her that I didn't have a clue why he was having these "accidents."

Yes, I lied. I feel totally guilty about it but I 1.) knew that my little boy loved his school and would be crushed if he had to stop going. 2.) I really loved having those 2 hours with only one baby at home. I know it was bad. I am just keeping it real here.

In total desperation my hubbie and I pulled out the big guns. We took him to Toys R Us. We proudly marched him up and down every isle. We then bent down and told him that if he would go #2 in the potty we would buy him anything in the store. I pointed to a shiny Lightning McQueen bike. I smiled sweetly and said "Do you want a bike? Mama and Daddy will buy you any bike you want if you use the potty!"

His reply? A sweet smile right back with a "no, thank you."

I did a pretty good job at keeping it together until a couple weeks later. A couple of the lovely mamas from his preschool invited us to all go to lunch after we picked up the kids. We went to a restaurant that had a play area. The kids loved going to lunch together and we mamas got to talk!

The kids getting antsy, begged us to let them go play. As we were sitting there chatting about teachers, discipline and sleeping habits, I noticed one of the mamas look over and her face went white. She then whispered my name and motioned me to come over.

As I approached, she leaned over and said "I think Miles may have had an accident" and pointed down on the slide." I felt like I was swimming underwater as I looked down and saw sitting on the slide... a shiny poop ball.

Yep, you heard me right. A poop ball.

My darling boy had used the potty in his big boy undies and in his climbing lost some of his merchandise.

Can I just tell you in that moment I wanted to DIE!!! If I could have any superpower in the world, it would be invisibility and I never would be seen again.

Of course I cleaned it up and used alot of antibacterial gel but needless to say I was traumatised. The other mamas were lovely about the whole thing. They didn't even laugh... that hard.

I can also laugh now. A couple weeks later after the "incident" my little man woke up one school morning, came out and gave me a hug and announced the world. "Today I am going to use the potty." You know what? He did. He just decided that it was his time and he went. Its hard to believe but he has never had an accident since.

It gives me a clue on his personality and how my parenting may need to change as he gets older. I am thankful that he is not a peer pressure follower right now. One day the same quality that I am cursing right now will make a great man and leader.

I just hope I live to see that day :) Anymore poop ball incidents and I may not come out from under the couch.

Eating from the Pantry challenge- my new creation....

I have to tell you all that this week I really was trying some new things. To my delight I found that when I started thinking outside the box, the meals got really good. Sometimes I need a good kick in the pants to try new things and not get into a rut!

I found some bread crumbs, seasonings and noodles and some chicken tenderloins.

I put some of the bread crumbs in a bowl and added garlic salt and some Italian seasonings. I dredged the chicken tenderloins in egg white and then in the crumbs and fried them in a little oil. (Although I could have baked them and saved my hubby a cholesterol pill :) )

I then prepared a box of mini bow tie pasta. In the VERY BACK of my pantry I found some pampered chef pesto and tomato seasoning. I sprinkled some of that in the bowl and threw some butter in. I then put the hot noodles on top and mixed it together.

Oh MY GOODNESS Y'ALL!! It was delicious!!! No recipes, just trying different flavors and it worked out great! I plan to put it on our favorite rotation.

How was your week?

Menu Plan Monday- Is it Feb. yet?

Hey all! As you know I have been doing the pantry challenge this month. I am coming up with some really interesting stuff, let me tell you. The surprising thing is that my family is loving it! I am trying to make bread bowls this week, after finding some yeast packets in my pantry. (Wish me luck!) Happy Eating Y'all!!

Monday: Bacon cheeseburgers, baked fries, salad

Tuesday: Grilled chicken over butter noodles, green beans, corn on the cob

Wednesday: Leftover buffet- if its not movin, you can eat it!

Thursday: Roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Friday: Homemade pizza's, salad

Saturday: Shredded beef enchiladas (made from leftover roast), refried beans and Spanish rice

Sunday: Chili in bread bowls (See recipes below)

Bread Bowls

1/2 cup water (70 to 80 degrees F)
1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 egg white, beaten


In bowl, place the first seven ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Using dough hook (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

When the cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into six portions; shape into balls. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Brush with egg white. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

To make bowl, cut the top fourth off of bread; carefully hollow out bottom of each, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use).

Uglies

In my efforts to use what is in my pantry I have been branching out and trying new things. I just had to share this one with Y'all !! (The bonus is that they freeze well. )

I had everything I needed already, it was quick and easy and my family loved it !

Enjoy!!

Uglies (I guess because they are not very pretty but boy, do they taste good! )

1 pound ground beef chuck
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 8 muffin cups.

In a large skillet or frying pan, cook ground chuck with onion and garlic powder until evenly brown; drain off the grease. Stir in the barbecue sauce and simmer for another 3 minutes.

Roll out each biscuit on a floured surface so that each biscuit is 6 inches across. Put the biscuit in the muffin tin and fold up sides to create a cup shape. Fill each biscuit fill almost to the top with the meat mixture; top with cheddar cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are baked, cheese is melted and tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Mama Knows best- Medicine storage

We as mamas have to be innovative and thrifty all in the same beat. Some how we find new ways of doing things that save us money, time and maybe if we are really blessed.... sanity!


I love organization. I really love when I find a organization system that not only works but saves me time and money. A while back, I posted how we kept the kids medicine stored. I am proud that it is still working for us.

Our big people medicine is a different story, however. It isn't until my nose is running like the Nile and I am coughing at 3am, that I realize I need a system!

We now use a 3 drawer organization system to house syrups, cough drops, pills, bandages, band-aids, creams, tape and any other medications that may be needed. (I found mine at Odd Lots but I have also seen them at the dollar store on occasion!)

We use one drawer for medication. One for creams and bandages and one for First Aid.

It keeps things simple and nothing is laying around. It also saves money because I know what I have and don't buy excess, only to find that I have 2 boxes already! There have also been a few emergencies that we don't have to run around like chickens with our head cut off. We simply pull the first aid drawer and everything is there!

Do you have a money/time/sanity tip to share? E-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

Eat From the Pantry Challenge- Stale Bread

Hey all! I have to say that my hubby is really helping me out with this weeks menu. We have enough pork from his smoker for a whole weeks worth of food! I did find a pack of hamburger buns in the back of my fridge. They were starting to go stale but were still edible.

I remembered that when we were little, we never had store bought garlic bread. It was hamburger buns with butter and garlic salt, toasted in the oven. We were having pasta, so I used the buns. My family loved it, we used the bread and there was no waste.

In honor of our garlic bread success, I thought I would list some other things you can do with some bread that is losing its oomph!

** Garlic Bread
Spread with butter. Sprinkle with garlic salt and toast in oven.

**Croutons
Cut to 1/2 inch thick. Coat with butter. Cut into chunks. Place in shallow pan until brown. (Turn halfway through).

** French Toast
Bread that is a little crusty is great for French toast!
4 (1 inch thick) slices Bread
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Butter or oil for frying
Maple syrup

Slice bread crosswise so that each slice is about 1-inch thick. Cut larger slices into halves or thirds, if desired. Set aside.

In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon.

Quickly dip slices (do not soak) in egg mixture and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Keep egg mixture stirred and spices well blended.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.

** Bread sticks
Cut into 5 inch long strips. Roll in melted butter and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Bake until just browned.

**Bread Pudding
3 eggs.
2 cups bread-crumbs.
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
1/2 cup raisins.
2 tablespoons butter.
1 quart milk.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Little nutmeg.
Scald milk. Add butter and bread-crumbs. Beat eggs light and add with salt and spice to bread mixture. Bake lightly in moderate oven about an hour.

** Leftover Biscuits and Rolls
Make the leftover rolls into breakfast sandwiches. (My kids love the "little sandwiches" )

Menu Plan Monday - Pork-a-palooza

I am participating in eating from the pantry challenge this month. I am discovering great finds at the bottom of my chest freezer, back of the pantry and in my fridge! My hubby is very supportive of my efforts .... he pulled a big ol' pork butt from the freezer. After making a rub and hauling out a smoker in the backyard, we were in business. (I love my man...note to my daughter. Marry a man who loves to cook.)

That being said... we have a LOAD of shredded pork. I will freeze a big pan for sure but I want to also use it in creative ways this week. It will really save money and its delicious! Happy Cooking Y'all!!!

Monday: Pulled pork sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, coleslaw

Tuesday: Grilled chicken, roasted peppers and asparagus, brown rice

Wednesday: Shredded pork enchiladas, black beans and rice

Thursday: Chicken (Leftover from Tues.), basil, tomato pasta, salad, garlic bread

Friday: Pizza Night

Saturday: Leftover buffet- If its in the fridge, you can have it but mama's not cookin!

Sunday: Pork Broccoli and rice casserole. (Recipe below), crescent rolls, salad

Pork Broccoli Rice casserole

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 pounds leftover roast pork, cubed
2 cans condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (Optional)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Place rice and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.

In a large bowl, mix together the cubed pork, rice and broccoli. Stir in the cream of celery soup and mayonnaise, then season with pepper and curry powder. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until evenly heated through. Remove the aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes in the oven.

Mama Knows Best: Using those Christmas candies

We as mamas have to be innovative and thrifty all in the same beat. Some how we find new ways of doing things that save us money, time and maybe if we are really blessed.... sanity!

If you have ever read my blog , you will probably know my hate of waste. I was confronted with this while taking down my decorations this week. I found myself with a whole lot of leftover Christmas candy.

I certainly did not want to throw it out!! (Hello Expensive!) But I also didn't want to display red and green wrapped candies in my kitchen either !!! So, here are a few things to do with those Christmas candies!!

** Melt the solid chocolates and drizzle over store bought (or homemade!) cheesecakes. You can make anything prettier and tastier with chocolate drizzle!!!

** Use your Hershey kisses in cookies. Here is a good recipe! I also found a yummy Hershey kiss Brownie recipe.. chocolate on chocolate... now that is what mama is talkin about!

**Use your nougat candy bars. Take 4-6 apples and chop them. Chop the candy bars you have left. Combine chopped apples and candy bars and top with whipped topping. You will be surprised how good it is. (And its practically a fruit, right? )

** Last but not least those M&M's !! This mama separates the candies by color. I put the red in a ziploc bag and the green in one. I use the red For Valentines day M&M cookies and the next month I use the green for St. Patrick's day cookies. (Or you could just give the bag of green ones to your hubby for Valentines day... I'm just sayin....) Here is a great recipe for the cookies.

M&M Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking

Do you have a money/time/sanity tip to share? E-mail me at everythingmom@live.com

New Years Party for Kids....

We have a tradition in this house for New Years. We don't get out.

It used to be romantic take out and a movie with my hubbie. Then it was trying to juggle the baby with sneaking in a midnight kiss. Now it has morphed into a wonderful tradition that is simple but we love!

We order some take out Chinese, put on party hats and blow noisemakers. (Yes, I have a bottle of advil on standby. ) We drag out the beanbags, make popcorn and watch a special movie. This years selection is the never seen Bugs Life. A little candy may even exchange hands.....

After the kidlets are in bed (There bed time is still 8...even as the new year arrives. I am mean like that. ) Hubbie and I snuggle in for a movie of our own, usually void of animation and alot of furry animals.

I won't lie. We almost never see the New Year come in. We are parents. We are tired.

So in honor of the New Year I thought I would list some ways that you could party down with your little one! HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!!1

* Bake a cake

*Have your little ones dress in their play dress up clothes to spice things up. Cowboy and princess anyone?

*Have the kids make "resolutions" in which you write them down. (You know so you can laugh about it later ...)

* Have game night

* Drag out the sleeping bags, even for mom and dad and have a "camp out" in the living room.

* Make calendars with stickers, construction papers and maybe some pictures of when they were little.

* Make our own noisemakers. (See instructions below)

Noisemakers - Because we need more noise, right?

Take an empty toilet paper tube. (Or better yet, cut one of those Christmas wrapping tubes into pieces. )

Cover one end with heavy paper or construction paper and secure with tape.

Fill with beans or rice.

Cover the other end with the same paper and secure with tape.

Have the kids decorate their noisemaker with stickers, markers or anything else you can find!

Works for me Wednesday: Making a list, checking it twice!

So during the Christmas season, I am like every other mama..... busy! By the end of the season I am ready to pack it all up and do what any good house mama does...make my hubby put it in the crawl space! I enjoy the holidays to the fullest but when its done, I am done!

Last year, I tried something new and it worked so well I thought I would share!

As I was packing up my boxes, I kept a little notepad with me. I quickly jotted down things that I had run out of, needed or would like to purchase for next year.

( In previous years I would sit down to wrap only to find that I was totally out of ribbon, bows,tap and tags. I would have to go to the store and pay top dollar prices which was very aggravating!)

Last year I wrote down what supplies I was out of. I also noted that I would like a swag over my front door and I needed a little something for a candle. I tucked the list away in my planner.

A couple weeks later I was at JoAnn's and found all my items for 90% off! It saved me a ton and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't need much at all this year. It worked so well I decided to do it again!

Sure my hubby gave me the look when I came in the door with Christmas stuff......in January. He quickly pulled it together when he realized how much I paid. (Under $10!!)

And that works for this mama!!!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge!

Money Saving Mom is starting a GREAT idea with an eating from the pantry challenge!! Since I have plenty of surplus, I have decided to take this challenge and get a little creative!

I am a recruited stockpiler from my best friend and has been couponing and stockpiling for about a year now. When my hubby built his 6th shelf to hold the stockpile, he gave me the look. I then stopped going to the grocery store for the next 2 1/2 months. (Except for Eggs, milk and fresh fruit and veggies.) I have to tell you that I was shocked that not only did we have delicious dinners and meals but I enjoyed the break from shopping in general.

Not to mention the savings...

It also forced me to use up ingredients that I had shoved in the back of the freezer, cabinets and pantry. It felt good to know that nothing was going to waste. It also made me think outside the box with recipes that I had never tried!

So I am going to throw my hat into the ring and take the challenge. In January we are finishing our basement and I am all about organization. I want to focus more inward then shopping so its perfect timing!!!

I will post updates and recipes along my journey. Will you take the challenge??

I was already perusing my shelves yesterday, mentally gearing up. I saw a bottle of ranch dressing, a frozen pizza crust, a skillet steak I have had frozen since... well I don't quite remember. In my fridge I have an onion that was diced and a whole green pepper that needs to be used.

Friday night is pizza night in this house so this is what we will be doing!

Philly Steak Pizza

Saute sliced onion , green pepper in a TBS of olive oil. Saute until tender crisp.

Add thin slices of skillet steak (very cheap steak!!) until browned to your taste.

Take your pizza crust (homemade or frozen like mine) and spread ranch dressing to taste.

Add sauteed mixture and coat with a healthy amount of mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 425 for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.

Menu Plan Monday: Simple is my middle name!

I am so excited for the new year of Menu Planning! (Ok.. so I know its still 2009, but still.... ) This year I am going to be trying to eat healthier, plan ahead and use simple recipes. I am ashamed that I "fell off the wagon" with my meal planning and it cost me. One of my goals for the new year is to also make 1 freezer meal per week. (One that I can double, eat that night and freeze one for later.)

For this week, I am sticking to simple. I am still in holiday mode and still busy with family so I thought I would do myself a favor and keep it simple! Hope you have a great New Years!!

Monday: Grilled chicken over a bed of rice, Broccoli,

Tuesday: BBQ Pork chops, Mixed veggies, crescent Rolls

Wednesday: Leftover Pot Pie (See Below)

Thursday: BBQ pork/cheddar quesedillas, salad

Friday: Making pizzas and salad at home with kidlets! (Including a Philly Steak Pizza - see tomorrows post!)

Saturday: Take out Chinese - Happy New Year!

Sunday: Leftover Buffet - If its not movin, you can eat it !

Leftover Chicken Pot Pie

Leftover chicken or turkey, diced

Leftover vegetables

1 can cream of chicken soup

Prepared gravy mix

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into pan. Cover with biscuits. Cook until brown.