Laundry Little Step - Into the depths...

If your washing basket is anything like mine, you do a load most days, taken from the top of the basket. Do you have clothes that you can't find? Sure you had a pink top but now it is nowhere to be find? It is time to reach into the depths of the laundry basket, and empty it out.

This might seem like a very BIG little step, but believe me, the sense of satisfaction at seeing the bottom of the laundry basket will be worth it. So today's task is empty out the basket, sort it and start doing the loads. My problem usually is that delicates, woollens etc sit in the bottom for ages, because they take extra effort to wash. Well, put your woollies in to soak first, while you do a main load.

This is worth 1 point for each load of washing that you do today, and a bonus 5 points if you do manage to get to the bottom of the basket!

Bathroom Step - Down the sink...

Every morning and evening, I brush my teeth, rinse in the sink and shudder at the sight of the plug hole. Ick... how did it get in such a grimy state? Well, today's the day I change all that!

I am going to pull out the little grid thing (most modern plastic-type bathroom sinks have a removable grate over the drain hole). If you get your finger in and give a sharp tug you will soon know if it will come out. Now be very careful not to drop anything down there, while the grid is out! (Take your rings off before doing this job).

Grab an old toothbrush and give it a good scrub. Then just scrub around the pipe hole as well - just the top, let's not go crazy and clean the whole drain! Return the grid (it should just clip back in), then give the whole sink a quick wipe down with a cloth. Done!

This is worth 1 point for each bathroom sink that you do, and an extra point if you shout yourself a new toothbrush after using your current one to do the cleaning!

Bathroom Step - Shelve It

I am too embarrassed to show you a photo of the shelf in our shower. It is cluttered with empty shampoo bottles, dead razors and nearly-dead soap bits. And because it is glass, it is grimy with soap scum too.

But today is the day that it gets a face-lift! Take a look at the shelf, shower caddy, or those handy corners of your bath tub that get cluttered with 'stuff'. Cull the empty bottles, ditch the soap scraps, dispose of dead razors and give the whole lot a wipe down.

Then smile when you next have a shower and enjoy the tidy shelf!

This is worth 1 point for each bathroom that you do - go next door and do your neighbour's if you only have one bathroom yourself! ;-)

Kitchen Steps - I would rather be here....

Isn't this an awesome house? It is on Lake Huron. I bet that you would have the most amazing views out, even when doing the housework!

Today's Little Step is about making another awful kitchen job much easier. I reckon that cleaning the oven is just about the worst job in the world. Most of all because I usually put it off for a year or 2! Now don't worry, we are not going to clean the whole oven today. BUT we can make the racks and trays positively shine, with hardly any effort at all.

The secret is laundry bleach. Yep, good old Napisan. Tonight, before bed, take out the racks and trays from your oven, put them in the laundry sink and add a good shake of laundry stain removal powder - Napisan is just fine. Fill the tub with warm water, so the racks are completely covered. Then just leave it overnight, and wait for the cleaning fairies to come!

In the morning, you should be able to just wipe down most of the gunge off the racks and trays, and have them shining like new. How hard is that?

Now, if only I could work out a way to soak the entire oven in Napisan overnight.....

Kitchen Steps - Kettle overload

As I stood staring vacantly at the calendar that hangs in our kitchen this morning, while waiting for the kettle to boil for my wake-up cup of tea, I happened to glance down into the depths of the kettle, after filling it with water.

Eeek! Bad mistake.... it's not quite scary enough to stop me from drinking my tea. Frankly, there would have to be something swimming in it for that to happen. BUT it is enough to make me think that I cannot remember ever cleaning out our kettle. The poor thing gets used many times a day, and taken for granted.

So today the Little Step challenge is to clean out your kettle. Tip out the water, use a clean cloth and wipe out all the general gunge that is accumulating on the sides, and even the element. Then give it a good clean and polish for the outside - if you are enthusiastic, you can even wipe down the electric base part.

This is worth 1 point for the cleaning, and an extra point if you then sit down and have a celebratory cup of tea or coffee, from your shining clean kettle!

PS - isn't the duck stove-top kettle just the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen? I think it would make a great Mother's Day gift - hint hint!!

Little Step - Monthly Menu Planning (Part 2)

It is a rainy day here, and the kids are at their Daycare mum's house... bliss!

So, taking up from where we left off yesterday, we have a sheet of paper, ruled into a grid that has 7 columns across and 5 rows down. Each column has a 'category' of cooking across the top.

As next month is May, and starts on Saturday, number the last box in your top row with a 1. Then number each box consecutively along, up to 31. So now you have a menu calendar for May.

Today's REAL challenge is to fill in a meal idea for each day, following the category of the relevant column.

So I need to come up with 4 roasts, 4 soups, 4 slow cooker meals, 4 oven meals, 4 cook book recipes, etc...

Don't stress about this - remember it's not a menu plan that is set in stone. It is just something that you can use as a guide - a fall back, so that we know that each day, we have the ingredients to cook SOMETHING for dinner that night. If you change plans, skip a day or whatever, this is no drama.

Have fun with this - make a cuppa and sit down with your favourite cookbooks (I have a crush on Nigella). Just pencil things we - you can move them around, change ideas and even change column categories if you want.

Tomorrow we are going to draft a shopping plan for each week.

Little Step - In search of pampering...

Please don't think that I stopped after just one week! In fact, I was whisked away for a fun few days with Brad and the kids and actually enjoyed a few days break from my computer. But I have come back home to deal with Mt Washmore and the mouldy loaf of bread that was accidentally left out on the bench when we left...

So I am feeling in need of some pampering today! This is quick and easy pampering. Challenge today is to grab some moisturising cream, of any description. Sit down for 5 minutes and give your hands and feet a soothing massage with moisturiser. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths... enjoy soft skin and soothed muscles... for a couple of minutes, at least!

And now that you are lovely and de-stressed, can I ask you to come over and help with the washing? It is a rainy day today... 4 piles of washing to do... oh, joy!

Friday Little Step - A Trail of Crumbs...

Fridays are for quick and easy things, that make you start the weekend with a smile!

Do you have a trail of crumbs that leads you out of the woods, and into the kitchen? Or at least to your toaster?

Today's quick and easy Little Step challenge is to lift up your toaster... give it some loving! Pull out the crumb tray (if it has something that flash, which mine doesn't!), dust it out, and wipe the bench underneath. If you are really feeling the toaster love, then wipe it all over and say 'thanks for making breakfast easy'!

OK, that last bit might be a bit over the top.... but what the heck - is there a genie in your toaster? :-)

This is worth 1 point for the cleaning, and a bonus point if a genie really does come out of your toaster!

PS - the photo is from www.toasters.com Yes. There really is such a website!

Little Steps

I often find myself thinking that the key to feeling that I am keeping on top of things - family, friends, Church commitments, work, housework, clutter, and my own general happiness - is taking little steps.

If I try to do too much, or make a huge list, it just all seems overwhelming and I more often than not throw my hands in the air and give it up as "just too big to get done". So I have been thinking... would you like to play along with some Little Steps challenges with me?

Every day, Monday to Friday, I am going to post a Little Step challenge on the blog. It will be something around the house, or just a little personal challenge (nothing too scary, I promise - I am a rather shy person, so I will not be challenging you to be doing anything out there!). Something that might bring us one Little Step closer to a feeling of general happiness - at peace with our families, houses, and the world.

Do you want to play along? If you do, then all you have to do is check back each day and see what our challenge is for that day! Schedule it in to your day or evening. None of the tasks will take any more than 15 minutes, at the absolute most. Keep a tally of how many of the challenges you have completed, and at the end of the month I will ask you all to email me with your total number (if you want to). Anyone who does, goes into a draw for a sweet little prize!

So, what is today's Little Step?

I find that the one thing which makes me smile in the morning is walking into a tidy kitchen. I don't mind if the rest of the house looks like a cyclone has passed by... as long as the bench tops are clean and the dinner dishes dealt with. It starts the day off on the right foot....

So the challenge for this evening is to do 2 things, right before bedtime -

• Deal with the dinner dishes, if you haven't already done so. Stack them in the dishwasher, or wash in the sink and leave them to dry in the rack. (Leave the pots to soak if you want to); and
• Wipe down the kitchen benchtops.

That's it. You don't have to put everything away, or have it all spotless. Just wash dishes and wipe benches. Then go to bed, anticipating the enjoyment of seeing a tidy kitchen, when you wake up!

Cheap thrills...

I have said it before, and I will say it again... the front load washing machine has been the best investment we have made in a long time. It is worth it's (considerable) weight in gold. Not only does it wash well, take a large load, and use far less water....

the entertainment value is priceless!

But do be sure to get one with a child-proof setting for all the buttons....

Coq au Riesling - Nigella style

My family know that I love books. Devour them. And I was lucky enough to be given 2 fantastic new cookbooks, for Christmas. Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson (thanks Emma), and 4 Ingredients, which is a cookbook written by 2 Australian mums, and every recipe has 4 ingredients or less - what a great concept!

Both books focus on delicious food, which is easy and fast to make. Now, as one of my posting categories is "Domestic Goddess", how could I go past starting off with a scrummy recipe by Nigella Lawson, for a French chicken casserole, Coq au Riesling.

Please excuse me, as I am typing this without the benefit of the recipe book in front of me. But it was so easy, that I can remember, I am sure!

Ingredients -

* 1 leek, chopped (do you have leeks in the US? Do you call them leeks?)
* 10 chicken thighs (either bone in or fillets, but either way, skin off)
* approx 1/2 cup chopped bacon
* oil for frying
* thickened or double cream
* 1 bottle Riesling
* 2 bay leaves

Method -

Heat oil in a deep saucepan / casserole dish. Saute bacon and leek, until soft and fragrant. Remove bacon & leek from pan, then add the chicken pieces to the pan and brown them. When chicken is browned, return bacon & leek to the pan, and add 2 bay leaves and about 3/4 of the bottle of wine (seriously - the left over bit is the 'cook's privilege'!).

Cover the pan with a lid, or tin foil, and simmer on low for about 45 minutes. Stir, remove bay leaves and add a good dollop of cream, to thicken the casserole mixture. Serve with mashed potato and green beans. Yummmm!!

Thank you Nigella, you are going to transform my family's eating habits... into decadent food, fast!

Saving my sanity

There are 2 things that are currently helping greatly in the daily struggle to maintain a few shreds of sanity, and even help me to get slightly organised (shock, horror!).

Motivated Moms is a printable jobs list for around the house. My bloggy friend Nikki at Nikki's Notes mentioned it to me a few months ago, and it has since become my lifeline. It is a series of weekly check-lists, that help to get daily, weekly and occasional chores, all scheduled in.

I feel like it is a safety net, for jobs that I know I should do, but never really get around to scheduling. I never think to clean out my car. But about once every 6 weeks or so, my Motivated Moms list tells me to do it, so I do -- and I get to tick it off the list! My car has never been cleaner!

I never thought that having a check list would give me such a feeling of satisfaction, to have something to look at and feel like I HAVE achieved something that day.

Oh, and I bought the version that has a schedule of daily Bible readings as well - I have always wanted to be more organised about reading my bible. Now I have a set reading each day, which will get me through the Bible in a year. And, you guessed it - each day I get to tick it off the list!

For the princely sum of US$4.00, this has been the best investment I have made in a long time.

The second thing that is helping me out is my Hands On Homeschooling folder, for 2 year olds. I am sure I have mentioned Terri at Hands On Homeschooling before. She has fanastic 'curriculum' folders for ages 2, 3, 4 and 5. The folder is packed full of fun learning activities - 3 activities per day, 5 days a week, for a whole year, in fact!

I don't pretend that Naomi isn't in a tough stage -- she is such a busy-minded child, but socially and emotionally very dependent - not good at entertaining herself for any length of time.

This morning she was really acting up. Naomi just wanted to watch a dvd - again. I needed to get some things done. We were at an impasse - until I remembered Hands On Homeschooling. The activity for today was to cut out and colour in a star shape, in any yellow colour. Naomi loved doing that. Then she asked what else we could do with it. So we used it as a template, to colour around for other stars. Next, she asked what else was in the sky with the stars - so we talked about (and drew) moons, the sun, clouds - even birds, planes and kites! Before I knew it, we had passed a very pleasant hour of time, with not one whinge, or request for the tv to be turned on.

And this afternoon we are going to tie a string on our star and hang it up in her drawing corner, to show Daddy when he gets home from work.

I can't recommend these 2 products highly enough. They are certainly saving my sanity -- which is a very impressive feat!

Do you have anything that you feel is a great aid, whether in organisation, child teaching / entertaining or any other area?

Mmm.... cookies!

Wow, the last couple of posts have been heavy going! So here is something lighter... cookies!

This is our favourite basic biscuit recipe:

Ingredients -

120 gms unsalted butter

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 egg

2 cups self-raising flour

Vanilla essence (just a tiny splash).

Preheat oven to 170 C (a moderate oven). Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, until light and creamy. Add the egg, and mix until combined. Add the flour and vanilla essence.

Knead the mixture, in the bowl, to form a ball. Wrap the dough in glad wrap (cling film) and refrigerate for about 20 mins.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured bench (this is easiest if you do it in 2 smaller batches). Use biscuit cutters to cut out cookes and put them on greased oven trays.

Bake for approx 8 - 10 mins, until lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.

This is a great basic mixture, which can then be played around with - I add in a handful of dessicated coconut, or a large glob of peanut butter. or a squeeze of lemon juice and some zest ...

And of course, I bake wearing one of the delicous new aprons available at Sasha Sews!

Having a plan

I am not too great at having a plan and following it. I would love to be more organised, and really MUST get my shoebox of receipts in better order before the accountant has an apoplexy.

But Brad and I have decided that we must have a plan. He works crazy long hours in a high stress job (engineering on large construction jobs). He is well paid, and this allows me the luxury of staying at home to be with our children and dabble in delicious fabrics. But all the stress he has, is for the company's benefit!

There is also Brad's health to consider. He is Type 1 diabetic (the genetic kind). His eyesight isn't so great, blood sugar levels need constant monitoring (stress creates hormones that block the insulin from working). At some point in time, we know that this job is not going to be the right thing for his health.

So we need a Grand Plan - something that will help us get to the point where we can choose what we really want to do with our lives. Should we sell the investment property (not the greatest time to be selling real estate, though)? We are seriously thinking of our own business, which would give Brad much greater flexibility with regard to his health needs. But we know that we need to work hard in the next 5 or so years, to save the kind of cash that will be needed, before he can chuck in construction engineering for good!

I am seeing a financial planner this afternoon, which I hope will be beneficial in setting a budget, some goals, and getting a clearer idea of how to move forward.

On a small scale, I am also trying to get firm about budgeting our household expenses. The internet and phone bills have been switched to a significantly cheaper company. I am also trying to shop fortnightly, in greater quantity. I have read that the more often you go to the supermarket, the more you spend, above what you intended. This makes sense - less temptation, equals less spending, right?

So my real challenge for this afternoon is to go to the great butcher we have in our Small Town, choose a bulk pack of meat and then figure out how to fit it all into our tiny freezer space!!

I also plan to start a notebook of our monthly expenses. Now I just need to remember to write in it!!

Do you have a Grand Plan, or even just a rough idea of where you want to be, as a family, in X years time? I would love to know that we are not alone in this!

The Sticky Beak Series Part 2 - Welcome to the house!

I like this house - it really seems to me to have a welcoming entrance.

Every home and decorating magazine I have read suggests making your entry somewhere that people don't just pass through. I like the front paved area, because it has room for a nice chair (we often sit here to wait for Daddy to come home). The timber shutters (louvres as we Aussies call them), make it feel 'warmer' and a bit different to any other house on the block. And then there is my triumphant pot of lavender (which is actually a bit too far left to have made it into this shot!).

I am sure you are too polite to even glance at the very dead pot of basil and parsley in the front right of the picture.

But inside the front door lurked a trap for unwary visitors. Enter at your own risk! The pile of shoes inside the front door was getting ridiculous. I hesitated to take a 'before' photo, in case you began to think that Sweet Hubby is akin to Imelda Marcos (was it 6000 pairs of shoes she owned??). Yes, they were mostly his (I will confess to 2 pairs).

So today we tidied them. The pairs that are rarely worn went back into our walk-in cupboard. The regularly used pairs went into this plastic tub, just inside the door. This is only a temporary measure, but at least the trip hazard has been removed, and I can now sweep the floor!

Tuesday Tips for Mum - making clean up fun

By the end of the day, the last thing I feel like doing is cleaning up the toys... again. But, our play area is right inside the front door (hmmm.... talk about poor planning!), and I do like to give Sweet Hubby a clear run through from the front door to the living area, when he gets home from work!

So my tip on getting little kids to help with cleaning / tidying up is to make it fun (sorry, that is so obvious it sounds silly, doesn't it?). Some of the best ways I have found to do this are:

* Have spare cleaning equipment for them. Naomi is thrilled at the thought of sweeping. So she happily picks up her toys, if she can then get to swish a broom around, while I am actually sweeping the floor. I also keep a spray bottle filled with water, and clean cloth, for her to "wipe" with, while I am doing bench tops, wiping down cupboards, dusting etc. She loves to spray!

* Make it a race. Against Mummy, against a timer, before Daddy gets home, or just to see who can hold the most toys in their arms at once. Whatever you can think of!

* Incorporate something they love. Naomi adores having her picture taken. So I like to take a 'before' photo, and then tell her we can take another one after, when the room is tidy and the floor swept. I did this today, and it worked a charm --

Before:

After:

and not a single complaint - she actively picked up toys, tidied up books, and helped me shake out the floor mat.

For more great parenting tips and idea, go over to see Kimberly at Raising Olives.

Tuesday Tip for Mum - clean toys

Toys get dirty. We all know that. They get chewed on, dragged around, buried in the sandpit, fed at tea parties....

The quickest, easiest and best way I know of keeping toys clean, in bulk, comes in 2 parts.

First, I run all the hard plastic toys through my dishwasher, every couple of weeks. I do this more often with little baby toys that are in the mouth all the time. Set onto the hottest setting your machine will do, use a little bit of powder (or not, if you don't want to with the baby toys), and come back later to take them out. The heat and steam does a good job of killing off any stray germs.

Secondly, I put soft toys that are washable through a slightly more rigorous process.

Put a few of them in a pillowcase, fold it over and place in your freezer. Yes, in the freezer. Leave them there overnight. This is what the low-allergy toy manufacturers recommend that you do to kill off any dust mites that might be inside the toys.

The next day, leave them in the pillow case and throw the whole lot into the washing machine. Again, run on a hot gentle cycle, with perhaps just a little bit of powder.

The important thing is to get them dry fairly quickly. If they are all fabric, then a quick tumble dry is good. If they have plastic parts, then spread out to dry on a towel in the blazing hot sun is the best place for them. Remember to baste and turn regularly. Er, I mean, just turn them over to dry both sides thoroughly.

For more parenting survival techniques, head over to Kimberly at Raising Olives.

Nesting? Or just motivated?

Hmmm.... nearly 35 weeks pregnant. And I am actually getting some projects around the house completed, that have been bugging me for a while.

Such as the playroom toy shelves, which desperately needed sorting, culling and tidying up .....


And the pantry shelves, which also needed a good sort through, clean out and removal of suspicious looking little black specks scattered around the shelves. This is a photo of the bottom half of the pantry - I still have 2 shelves to go up the top!



In the last week I have even managed to finish off some craft projects, such as the patchwork table runner that was the first thing I started sewing on my new machine (on Boxing Day - I had nothing else to sew, and found these left over squares from a quilt I made years ago. I just made this runner up as I went along).

So... what do you think? Nesting?? Or just motivated and efficient. I am going to give the credit to Rachel at Home Sanctuary, and her great housekeeping schedule that I talked about a few days ago. Having just a few jobs to do each day, and which I usually get done by lunch time, seems to free up my mind in the afternoon for doing other bits and pieces. I feel like I have already done the necessary jobs, so spare time (ie. when Naomi is watching her favourite Wiggles dvd!) can be used for accomplishing extra things, or just enjoying crafty things.

I feel like I have a plan, and I don't have to do everything I think of at the time, because the important things are in a schedule, and I know that they will get done during the week. Am I making sense, or just hormonally rambling?!?!?

Cosmic humour??

The Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.

This week He has given us a glimpse of the start of the long-awaited tropical monsoon season, and even the possibility of our first cyclone. It has been raining on and off for several days. This is my favourite time of year in the tropics. The grass is instantly greener, the parched earth has that delicious pre-rain smell, and there is the possibility of the drought gripping our country easing even just a little bit.

However, owing to lack of a clothes dryer in the Cherished Household, I now have what Brad terms "the local laundrette" in our living area. Even this doesn't really bother me, because I love the rain so much. BUT......

This week, just for a little cosmic amusement..... our cloth-nappy wearing Naomi has developed a lovely case of baby diaorrhea....... So I have poopy nappies overflowing from the nappy bucket, nowhere to hang them to dry, and no sunshine to remove the stains! Mmmm.... this week can only get better.

WFMW - creamy mash!

Want to make deliciously creamy mashed potato that the whole family will love? (LOL - Nigella, eat your heart out!)

My tip is, when mashing the boiled spuds, mix in the usual butter and milk, and ADD a couple of good tablespoons of cream cheese, while mashing. The cheese softens through the potato and makes it really creamy. For a twist, you can try the flavoured cream cheese (our favourite is herb and garlic), for extra yummy potatoes. My little family now loves their mash!

This would also be a way of slipping a little extra dairy into the diet of a fussy eater.

For more great tips and ideas, check out Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.