Archive for works for me wednesday
WFMW: A Food Diary
Welcome, new visitor! Come on in. The Classic Housewife is currently undergoing some back end changes. In the meantime I'm re-posting some oldies and goodies. You may also want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
So I’ve been doing this little exercise thing. You may have heard me mention it once or twice. You may have also heard me mention using an online food journal to track my food intake (and also an activity journal but the point here is really the food diary.)
See, I do WELL with a food diary. By that I don’t mean I do a good job at writing it all down. No, I usually do good for a bit, then get out of the habit for a bit and then back I go.
What I mean is, that when I WRITE IT DOWN.. I do better at eating right. A food journal is good for me. I know that others have said it doesn’t work for them and that’s fine. But for me.. if I know that I’m going to have to write that cookie down if I eat that cookie, it’s usually enough to deter me. Or at least enough to limit me to only one cookie. I don’t want to have to write it down and see the calorie numbers going shooting up. So I don’t overeat.
It’s like I’m so competetive that I’m even competetive against myself.
I’m sure there’s therapy for that.
But still the fact remains that keeping a food journal (esp an online one that tracks and charts all the dietary info for me) really works to keeping me accountable for eating healthy foods, not indulging too often and not indulging too much when I treat myself.
A food diary. It works for me. What works for you?
WFMW is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Working Around the Room
The biggest thing working for me this week is sending the kids to Grandma’s house for the week! No. Seriously. And while they are gone I am CLEANING, CLEANING, CLEANING. Which leads to my other thing that works for me:
Working around the room.
When the room is just a MESS and you don’t really know where to start or don’t really even want to start… pick a corner and just. start. working. In my kitchen, I always start on the counter by the back door. Clean off the counter, the whole counter and nothing but the counter. YES, grab as many things as you can, don’t you dare walk away with only one thing in your hand. Load up everything that needs to go in the sink or in the trash can and take them in one trip (just don’t get confused!)
I don’t know about you, but I always work clockwise. I don’t really think that’s a rule. I wonder if a left handed person or a left brain person would do it differently? (Since I am a righty for both..) Hmmm… Anywho….
When that counter space is done, I move to the sink, then the counter on the other side, and so on and so forth around the room in a circle. I do the same thing in the other rooms, too. I know I am not the only one who does this, experts have recommended this for years, and it really does work for me.
This week while the kids are gone, I’m applying this principal but on a deeper level- instead of just picking up the space, I’m cleaning the space thoroughly. I started in the living room at the bookcase and took that opportunity to declutter it, dust it, and reorganize it. Moved to the chair next to it, cleaned behind it, under it, under the cushions, etc, and kept going. Yeah, okay, so I had the vacuum on half a dozen times instead of doing it all at once, but it felt good. I could visibly see the room getting cleaner piece by piece and once I was done with a space I never had to go back over it for something else.
The older I get, (or after having 3 children and using up all my brain cells), not only do I often have trouble focusing but I also frequently suffer from a serious Lack of Want To. I know you know what I am talking about. That’s why this really works so well. I don’t really have to think about it. I do have to get up and do it, but it gets done quickly and easily and truthfully,… I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER ONCE IT’S CLEAN.
Oddly enough, I can think better when it’s clean too.
Huh.
Works for Me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We Are That Family!
Sponsored Link:101 Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide {Click here for my Disclosure Policy}
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
“Shout it Out!” (WFMW)
Today I’m reposting an oldie but goodie because it has saved my money and my daughter’s wardrobe once again!
Same daughter, another brand new white shirt, a coffee stain that’s been through the dryer, and the same solution:
****************************************************************************************************************
“Shout it Out!”
Originally posted January 23, 2008
Remember that slogan? Today’s tip is a quick one from my laundry room. I hate (I really do) spending money on expensive clening products, they just really cut into the budget. Sometimes they’re worth it. And this one really is. A four dollar bottle of Shout Advanced Gel is definitely worth it when it helps me save half of my four-year-old’s wardrobe. (Yeah, you thought it was going to be the BOY, didn’t you?? Not this time!)
Drama Queen is notorious for stains; always has been. She stains at least half of her stuff the very first time she wears it. Can we say frustrating??
Not anymore.
I had several cute and new things with stains that didn’t come out so I took a shot and bought a bottle. And boy am I ever so glad. I’ve been using it a little over a month and it has removed every thing my four year old has thrown at it, including set in stains that got missed in the wash, AND half-removed stains from who-knows-when. The older the stain the longer you need to pre-treat it, so be prepared. I sprayed it, folded the shirt and left it on top of the washer until the next day. I just kept checking it each day and adding more gel if necessary until I felt confident enough to wash it. A couple of times I washed something and saw a small amount left and sprayed it again. But man, this stuff works.
****************************************************************************************************************
Works for me Wednesday is hosted by Kristen @ We are THAT Family
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
WFMW: The Organizing Edition
This week’s is a themed edition: ORGANIZATION.
Oh, I do love me some organization! Some brightly colored bins, straight little buckets all in a row, a neat line of bottles or containers.
I adore it. I’m actually very good at it.. I just STINK at the part where you’re supposed to KEEP it that way.
Moving on…
I have a handy little list of organizational tips that I actually do use on a regular basis and they continue to work for me, again and again.
In the kitchen:
- If your kitchen cabinets are high over head and you find yourself stretching and reaching for spices or powdered sugar - organize them into baskets (common spices, seasonal spices, baking needs, etc.) that can be pulled down, dug through and then replaced. It will save your back, not to mention prevent anything from getting lost at the back of the cabinet.
- Under the sink: Milk crates make good bins for cleaners - it keeps the bottles together and prevents anything from getting lost in the cobwebby shadows.
In the living room:
- Organize your DVD’s into DVD wallets* (which allow you to keep the inserts unlike cd wallets) and chunk all those plastic cases - or even better, recycle them!
- Organize the books on your bookcase by size and color and you’ll have a very streamlined and pleasing appearance to your bookcase in lieu of a cluttered one.
In the bathroom:
- If you don’t have enough drawer space in your bathroom, stackable transparent storage containers with hinged lids can help contain all the bottles, creams, and what-nots and make it easy to find things when you need them.
In the kids’ rooms:
- Organize your kids’ sock and undies drawer with small baskets. One for each and if you have room, a basket for belts and/or scarves, too.
- Keep your kids’ sock basket orderly by buying all one kind of sock (with maybe a few exceptions with church socks for girls.) If one gets lost, it will always have a mate!
I have more, but I can’t give away all my secrets at once, now can I?! 
For more organizational tips, stop by WFMW at We are THAT Family!
Sponsored Link:101 Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide {Click here for my Disclosure Policy}
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Binder Clip Your Trash Bags
You heard me right. Binder clip… your trash bags… to the trash can… and they’ll stay in place!! That’s TOO easy, isn’t it?
I owe it to my grandmother who was over one day, watched me fetch the bag out of the can and replace it over the edge of the bin again. She said, “You know they sell little clips that hold your bag on there - right?”
Looking at her blankly, I said “Clips?? I HAVE binder clips.” She started to explain, “No, they’re little clips–” Me, “No, I understand. I’m just saying.. I HAVE binder clips. Right here. Right now. Why didn’t I ever think of that?”
So poof! My trash bags have been binder clipped ever since, one on each end. They don’t get in the way, the bag does stay in place, and I didn’t have to spend any money.
Love it.
Hop over to Kristen’s and throw your tip into the hat. This week’s Works for Me Wednesday is a Back to School theme, but she promised me she wouldn’t delete any non-school tips. I suppose I could have said, “You’ve got too much to worry about with all the back to school stuff you need to do - why worry about your trash bag? Binder clip it in place and you won’t have to waste valuable remaining summer time scrubbing out the bottom of the can.” Is that pushing it a bit you think?
********************************************************************
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
