Just Freeze the Bananas

Early this morning I made myself stop what I was doing and take the time to peel and freeze three very ripe bananas. It took less than one minute. However, trying to decide if this was a good time to stop what I was doing and actually complete this task took me longer than one minute.

Do you find yourself doing this same thing? Things like walking past some towels that are folded but still need to be put in the cabinet? Or knowing that a plant needs watering, or something needs refilling, or some shoes put away? Just little things that can be done in probably less than a minute, but for some reason you find yourself walking past them because you think, "I don't have time to do this right now."

The reality is doing those little tasks the moment you recognize they need doing takes much less time (and mental energy) than thinking about them, not doing them, and nagging yourself about leaving them undone.

What are some things you can do now instead of putting them off to later?

I try to always carry something that goes in the room I am going to as I head that way. For example, we have a basket at the top of our stairs leading to the basement (where our schoolroom, craft area, workout room, garage, and storage room are located). Throughout the day I place items in that basket that belong in one of those areas. Every time I go downstairs, unless my hands are already full, I try to take either the entire basket and empty it or at least take a few items out of it and put them in their proper home. When I leave my bedroom in the morning, I like to take the stray items that ended up there the night before and return them to their proper place.

My children each have a plastic dishpan with their name on it in my laundry room. I place their folded laundry in there each afternoon, but I also place anything I find around the house that belongs upstairs in their room or bathroom in there too. They are responsible for emptying the buckets (that's what we call them, but they are not really buckets) each evening. I used to keep a basket at the bottom of my stairs that lead to the children's rooms for those random items, but now I just put everything in their buckets.

So, my challenge for you today is to just do that small, but maybe annoying task that won't take longer than one minute! If you do several of these tasks each day, it will keep your home looking tidier and hopefully boost your morale too!

Some Tips For Mothers of Young Children

Today as I was grabbing my gym bag to take to my CrossFit class, I was reminded of when I had babies and toddlers and always had a diaper bag whenever I left the house. I keep my gym bag stocked just like I always kept my diaper bag stocked, but with different items.

Here are some tips that I used when my children were much younger.

• Restock your diaper bag when you get home. Every time. Replace any diapers, wipes, outfits, snacks, etc. that you used. Do it fairly soon after you get home while the contents are fresh on your mind. Now your diaper bag is all ready for your next outing.
• Keep a change of clothes for each baby, toddler or preschooler you have somewhere in your car. You never know when a fresh outfit will come in handy.
• Also keep a diaper station in your car: changing pad, diapers, wipes, ointments, paper towels, etc. I changed many diapers in the back of my minivan. Remember to restock this changing station frequently.
• Prepare all the sippee cups you need for the day at one time and place them on a designated shelf in your refrigerator. My children each had their own style/color/size cup, so I fixed an appropriate amount for each child each day. I did this each morning, but you could do it the night before as well.
• Keep a separate bag filled with "quiet time" toys, books, and activities. Use this bag only for times when you need your children to sit quietly, like in a doctor's office waiting room or a church service. 
• Keep a trash can in your vehicle. I still do this today. With older children it has to be emptied almost every day! I have mine wedged between the front and middle seat consoles. It is a regular bathroom sized trash can. It works best if you line the trash can with plastic bags.
• If you live in a two story house, create a diaper changing area on each floor. 
• If you homeschool, place a rocking chair in the room where you do most of your instruction or reading aloud time. I rocked, rocked, and rocked babies and toddlers while doing school with my older children.

That's all I can remember for now.  Thinking about all of this makes me miss when my children were babies!

I'm Throwing Away My Notebook!

Yesterday Jimmy showed me a new app that he put on his iPhone. It is called TeuxDeux, and it's a To Do list app. I have tried a couple of grocery list type apps, but they were not really that user friendly. I also use the Notes app on my iPhone, but I was also still using my trusty spiral bound notebook, because I couldn't make Notes exactly fit my list making needs.

TeuxDeux has changed my organizing life!

It is so much more than a phone app. In fact, it actually began as a website, and anyone, not just iPhone users, can use TeuxDeux on the web. Just click on this link, TuexDeux, and set up an account. If you have an iPhone, just buy the app, and then you are all set. (This is only the second app that I have paid for on my iPhone....the other purchased app is a word game!)

Now, my first question that I had for Jimmy when I looked at his Teux Deux list was, "Can I change the colors?" (It is black, red, and white.....I prefer pink). He referred me to the FAQs, which plainly states that no, there are no other color options! I recommend that you read the FAQs and watch the 3 short videos about TeuxDeux. They are both informative and humorous!

How does it work, and why do I like it so much?

1. The website really is self-explanatory and very user friendly. You basically type in your to do list under the date that you want to do it. When you complete that item, click on it, and it draws a line through it. If you are like me, you will really like this feature--seeing what you have done crossed off! If you prefer a less cluttered look, you can click on the little x to the right, and the item will disappear.

2. Whatever you don't cross off by the end of the day automatically moves itself to the next day! How neat is that? I used to either recopy my "undone" items to a new page in my notebook or circle or highlight them so I would see them among the crossed off items.

3. If you have the iPhone app, the TeuxDeux lists on your phone and computer sync. So if you are in town, you can cross off items on your phone, and they are also crossed off on your computer. And vice versa. And you can use any computer to access your account!

I really, really like my new TeuxDeux list.

Now I can go cross off blog.