Veggies for a Week

Vegetables take some time don't they? Washing, peeling, cutting. I like my family to eat vegetables for snacks and for dinners, but sometimes I just don't feel like preparing them come dinnertime. I've come up with a solution that works for me. I do all of my vegetable prep in one day for the week. I prepare all of the "side veggies" (not lettuce), and put them in a bowl. I then wash, spin, and chop all of the greens and put them in ziplock bags with a couple of paper towels to absorb the extra water. I do this for any herbs also. It is so handy to just grab it all out the crisper and have a salad ready in 2 minutes!

The Right Tool for the RIght Job: PRODUCTIVE!

The Fly Lady taught me that when I get up, I should make my bed, put on my tennis shoes, and FLY to the laundry room to get a load started. It works. She has many other tricks that I'm sure would make my life more productive, but these three have stuck. If you find me at home at any time of the day, you will find me in these.... even in a skirt (I put my other cute shoes back on when I go back out into the world):

Tennis shoes are my not-so-secret tool for getting more done in my day. I don't know what it is, but as soon as I put them on, I work SO much better. I'm not kidding. I go from snail to cheetah in a flash. It's weird, but it works!

Here's the next one:

Got yard work to do? Put on gloves. Even if you are going out for just a little while. You will get 2x the amount done. It's something about being able to attack the task with a vengeance and not really touch anything. ;)

Even better, pull out the gardening apron. This is my darling friend, Tammy, who loves to work in the dirt as much as I do. She keeps all of her tools handy in the pockets.

Lots of dishes to do, or cleaning? Oh yes..... with such cute options in rubber gloves these days, why not?? There is no doubt that cleaning toilets isn't half as bad with these pink babies on.

Oh and don't forget the MUSIC!!!

It makes everything more fun!!

I know this is the simplest concept, but it really does make a difference: Choose the right tool for the right task, and watch the magic happen :)

Rescuing Sock Orphans from the Laundry

Is there anyone who doesn't have some sort of creature living in their laundry machines who furiously eats socks? But only ONE of the pair?? Surely someone besides me can't get over how many sock orphans come through the wash. A couple of years ago we started this system to address the problem. It doesn't take care of it completely, but it has helped a TON!
Each room has a bag like this filled with plastic laundry pins. I hang it from something near the laundry basket.
Each person is responsible for clipping their socks together before the pair is put in the basket. The kids are now finally in the habit--it took a while!
A word of caution: the clips do sometimes break or come apart. If you want a heavier duty clip, try these.

Sock monster destroyed! :)