bins baby

Forget shoe bins for shoes, how about for organizing your kiddie's toys. Especially those little tiny teenie toys that love to nestle sharply between my fourth toe and pinky toe.  In the morning.  Always.  Or late late late at night. I use clear shoe box size bins to organize:  markers, crayons, chalk, paint sets, littlest pet shop, legos, polly pockets, blocks, match box cars, Mc Donald's happy meal toys, hair ties, and whateva fits.  Use your large toy boxes for stuff animals and big toys otherwise you will find itty bitty toys hiding at the bottom. Label your bins with a sharpie or use some recycled kiddie art and create a label; this will ease toy clean up.  They come with lids and stack tidy on shelves.  View eco-friendly bins here and dollar store location finder here.

No toy garage

We just moved two months ago and I had the distinct pleasure of packing 10 BOXES of TOYS.  Gimme a break. I mean really.  So as I began to slowwwwwly unpack them, I realized AGAIN that all of these were unnecessary.  Especially as I witnessed them playing without them for days.  So I grabbed a black garbage bag (absolutely necessary to hide the toys headed for donation from those little I-don’t-miss-a-thing eyes). I decided that at least half of the toys from each box MUST leave the house.  In addition, I also created the No Toy Left Behind Act – no more bins of extra toys in the garage.  If there is no room in their bedroom for them, then there’s no space in the casa.  View places to donate toyshere.

easier nights

You, being the super mommie, already know about doing the following the night before school:  laying out clothes, packing lunches, signing permission slips, and checking and packing homework into backpacks.  You got those right?  But what about these efficiency kiddie tips to make your p.m.'s run just a wee bit smoother:  1. Have your kiddies match socks AND put them away.  2. Have them pack their own lunch – make an assembly line of food and get it done before nighty night time.  They might be more likely to eat what they packed.  3. Get them to work.  I have my girls ages 4 and 6 sweep the floors after dinner, wipe counters and unload the dishwashed utensils. It’s NEVER too early to start chores.  Even Elastigirl couldn’t do it all.  4. Place permission slips and homework on refrigerator or a bulletin board – otherwise...out of sight out of mind.  View eco-friendlybulletin boards here.

Freeze it baby

/freezertips

The freezer is your friend.  Repeat this again.  Before your left-overs go sour, FREEZE them puppies.  Use a plastic freezer bag or Tupperware.  Don’t forget to write it’s contents on the container and the date.  Nothing like defrosting some marinara sauce only to find it’s…surprise…chili.  I made a very healthy     easy meal of boxed macaroni and cheese, kosher beef hot dogs (from the freezer) and peas for the girls the other day.  Efficiencies – Save money by freezing your scraps. Save time by boiling your hot dogs with the pasta.  View eco-friendly freeze containers here.

meal of oats

The girls eat Quaker oatmeal a couple of times a week.  I make them the rolled oats hidden mixed with some hearty steel cut oatmeal which I buy in bulk. Be efficient and make extra for the week.  Mix in your milk (regular, almond or soy) and sweetener ( brown sugar or honey) before refrigerating in a glass bowl.  Efficiencies – You only clean that sticky oatmeal pot once a week and when you are ready to eat it again, just zap the bowl in the wave.  Throw the blueberries, strawberries or bananas on just before serving.  View organic oatmeal and steel cut oatmeal here. Check out Alton Brown's steel cut recipe.  On the run?  Jamba Juice makes the tastiest steel cut oatmeal topped with bananas, blueberries or cinnamon apples.  Laaahve Laaahve!

sausage efficiency

2012 is all about efficiency.  This year, I will provide tips on increasing efficiency in your meals, parenting, shopping and living.  As you know, I enjoy quick tips so some of these blog will be well…short, simple and EFFICIENT.  

Home made sausage from Healthy Green Kitchen

Sausage.  The girls love love breakfast sausage and probably feast on this twice a week.  But I abhor the greasy sticky hands after forming refrigerated sausage rounds. Keep it frozen and then take a really sharp knife and cut slices. My other tip is to cook it on my knock-off George Foreman indoor grill.  Efficiencies - Less mess, way easier to clean, the grease drips off into a nice cess pool.  And your sausage have these cute grill marks.  View organic breakfast sausage and indoor grills here.  Here's a recipe to make your own sausage.

Lappie top

VTech Brilliant Creations Advanced learning laptop

Another big hit for Christmas this year was a VTech Brilliant Creations Advanced learning laptop.  We bought a Barbie one at Costco for only $32, but the mediocre games,  two color screen, lame graphics, and Barbie theme made me return it.  The My Own Leaptop laptop @ 21 bucks is great for 1-3-year olds because it only has 6 learning stations that are very basic.  I do like that you can choose from 8 email messages and personalize them for your kiddie to enjoy.  Here's why we love the VTech laptop:  LCD color display, animated graphics, 120 learning activities including foreign language and Math.  It also has a back-light so it works well when you travel at night and your kid can create and save letters and art.  Read more reviews here.