Sock Monster- BE GONE!

Mesh Laundry/Sweater Bags

If you hate pairing socks as much as I do, or wonder where the sock monster hides until your socks enter the washer, then this is the perfect Simplify Saturday Tip for you! 

Keep a mesh laundry bag on the back of each bedroom/bathroom door knob and place socks in every night. Then collect the mesh bags at laundry time, zip and throw the whole thing in to wash and dry. Easily pair upon drying. Be sure to have a large enough bag to allow socks to move around while washing to ensure cleanliness. 

A laundry dryer sheet can be placed in the bag to ward against any odors while on the door knob, just be sure to remove before washing. 

A colored ribbon or string can also be threaded through or knotted on to deciefer which family member's bag if following The Color-Coded Family approach. This also makes it easy to get younger kids involved as it breaks down the task. They can just focus on one bag at a time knowing they are all the same size and owner. 

Happy Simplify Saturday!

Meal Planning and Pre-Printed Grocery List

Here is a helpful way to plan meals and groceries. A Pre-Printed Grocery list. 

Download for FREE and make a few copies while you are at it... pin one up close to the fridge or pantry. (I keep mine posted on the inside of a cabinet door between the fridge and stove so I can easily mark what I am running low on as I see it.) If everyone in the house marks what they have used the last of, or see running low, there will be a whole new light shed on grocery shopping and cooking as well!

Plan your meals to the right and Keep It Simple. List the main dish for dinners and a side item. Have several veggies on hand to pick one.

Also try to use themes to simplify the planning. For example: Mondays are Chicken nights, Tuesdays are Mexican, Wednesdays are crockpot cooking, Thursdays are vegetarian, etc. Get kid involved too and have them pick a meal each week to help plan, prep and cook. 

By planning your meals and shopping weekly for them you will save time- by planning, save money- by shopping only for what you need, and eat healthier- by having meals ready and less temptation to eat out as much.

Also be sure to check back weekly or subscribe to the blog for the weekly menu I post for my own family with a grocery list ready for you to take to the store or pull up from your smartphone. You can find that on the Menu Page of this blog.

Hope this helps make your meal planning a little easier!  Grocery List 2012

Top 5 Ways To Get Your Life Organized- Business Owner Editition

Do you want business growth? Do you want to increase your productivity with less stress? Do you crave a better strategy for your overall day? Then you need to get organized! Here is a simple top 5 list of ways to start:

1.       PLAN: Block out time to plan- if you do not plan your upcoming week, or even upcoming day, you will end your day with a sense disappointment. This does not need to be a long amount of time, just 30 min or less to review what you have going on and synchronize schedules .

2.       WRITE: Write your top 3 goals for the week, every week- Be consistent each week to set goals for yourself and your business. This will allow you to track your progress in a proactive manner as well as quantify your accomplishments. 

3.       SAY NO: Just say no when asked to help or lead something new- Well, not forever. But at least until you have aligned your goals with your plan of action. Start thinking before your say yes to new initiatives and weigh the outcomes with your list of written goals. Do they line up? Remember to stay on track. It never hurts to take a night and sleep on the ‘yes’ before delivering your answer. You will thank yourself in the long run!

4.       DECLUTTER: Out with the old and less of the new- Keep it simple. Less really IS more. A clean, organized, work area and home are the key to increasing your productivity, but first you must part with the clutter weighing your down and implement healthy habits that accommodate your life style.

5.       ADJUST: Review your plan regularly and adjust where needed- If you try something and it does not work, then try something else. Everyone is different and there is no cookie cutter formula. You have to do what works for you. This applies to both organizing products as well as systems. If you find this step difficult, it may be best to enlist the help of a professional organizer or coach to help you set up a strategy that works best for you.

There are proven health benefits to living an organized life. The key is getting organized and sticking with the systems you put in place. The outcomes can remarkably change your life and increase your business! Get organized today!

The Day After

Here it is, finally... December 26th! I think I have been praying for this day more than most pray for December 25th. Before you gasp and say something you may rethink, let me start by saying, yes I am grateful for the many blessings I have: my kids, my friends, my family that I really don't get to see, my faith, and of course Jesus' birthday. This is a raw account for my little 'blogging space' and not one I usually allow myself to open up for, but the stress I have felt this year has been daunting. Not much has played out the way it was 'suppose to be' at all. The picture of Christmas was suppose to look very different than the reality, especially for as hard as I've tried to work.

Christmas is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends and reflect on memories and make new ones, to celebrate with traditions and spread some cheer with a special person/family by your side. Well as great as that sounds and as much as I pray for that to be the case again someday, this year was very different... and the last few have been quite rough too. I always knew after my grandmas both passed away things would be different, but had no idea it looked this different! I didn't even have a family gathering to put on the calendar this year!

The mere struggle of robbing Peter to pay Paul only works until you throw something like Christmas in the mix. And heaven forbid a mom wake up extremely sick just 3 days before. (after taking care of a sick, sick kid with the flu for the several days before) Oh and did I mention none of the gifts purchased yet?? Because I was still trying to figure out which bill I could afford to be late on without fear of disconnection. And also when I could be kid-free to cram that shopping in without the very recipients tagging along with me between the two jobs I'm working and very little help from the other parental unit in just taking the kids. So knowing I was scheduled for a paycheck on the 21st I waited to shop on the 22nd when I was off work and kid free. I did NOT plan on waking up sick on the 22nd and to my not-so-surprise, I still had the kids. Is there really a 'kid-free' time to plan on, I think not.

Yes, I have scaled back on the gifts my children receive, but whoever thought up this whole Santa thing needs to be... well, we will leave that alone for now (probably a whole other blog topic, ha!) I have an 8yr old that I could not disappoint with the whole magical lie parents get to play without being hypocritical. So of course I have to milk that opportunity, right?! I not only have to play Santa to her, but also to the 12 and 13yr old because Santa wouldn't dare just come for one and not the others. Now I am having a breakthrough thought as I type this: Gee this is why the older two are so quick to help me keep the Santa thing alive in the house. Duh, they get more presents too... sheesh! 

 Well after running around sick for a day and a half I was graciously sent some 'helper elves' to help wrap the presents that were suppose to be ready for 'delivery' within just a few short hours. Yes it was December 24th, at 8pm, and nothing was wrapped, but hey, at least it was purchased now. So the wrapping party began after I loaded all the gifts up in my car, drove them over to my cousin's, unloaded them, and enlisted her and her two kids  to help me wrap everything, just like they did last year. 

Christmas day held no major plans, well, no plans at all actually. I remember a day of trying to juggle about 5 different stops on Christmas day... and now not one place. So I thought, "It's time for me to take things in my own hands. It's tradition setting time." After all, my kids and I did just collect over 100 coats for the homeless in less than a week. So of course I can create a new Christmas! 

I let the kids just lounge around through the day and play with their gifts while I attempted to set up iTunes accounts and iPods that almost found a free trip through the window! eeek! I ran out for more cold meds/cough meds  and back to make dinner. Nothing fancy by any means, just some spaghetti with marinara sauce and edemame. Of course we had some Christmas cookies too. Then off to drive around for a first annual Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt! We looked for a big blow up Santa and snowman, light up candy canes, a wreath, a nativity scene, a house with music and light show, an all white light house, an all blue light house and tree out of lights. We successfully finished and before I could announce stopping for hot chocolate, the kids were done... one had to pee, one had already checked out and had ear buds in and the other was trying to show enthusiasm, bless her heart, but the kids were toast. They actually really enjoyed just staying at home and exploring their new Santa-given treasures. So I turned on a movie and relaxed the night away, nursing the sickness that was still kicking my butt, drinking hot cocoa on the couch with my daughters and thanking God that Christmas was almost over! 
~until next year, Merry 'day-after' Christmas!

 

The ‘Skinny’ on the Holidays

We have skinny jeans and skinny lattes… and maybe we have skinny lattes to fit into the skinny jeans, but have you ever thought about a skinny holiday? There is so much consumerism around the holidays that it seems to fog up the real meaning of Christmas and spending time with your friends and family. What if you made a commitment to make this Christmas different? What if we thought more about why you were buying a gift for someone that just to check another name off your list? What if you ‘skinnied’ your Christmas this year?

Here are some helpful tips to experience a Skinny Holiday:

·         Review your gift list- who could you create a relational gift for instead of just buying a material item that may sit around their house and collect dust and create more debt for you.

·         Create relational gifts for as many people on your list as possible-  instead of buying a Starbucks gift card for coffee, why not buy a bag of good coffee and attach a note that reads:

o   “This coffee is a gift for both of us. It is to only be made when we are together and for the time it takes us to drink it, we are to share stories and conversation about lives.” That kind of gift would be a lot more meaningful and less bulky on both parties. When we give our presenCE we are giving much greater presents!

·         Consider making a donation to a worthy cause in honor of the name on your wish list this year- Check out Advent Conspiracy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU. Did you know that lack of clean water is the highest cause of death in this world? Did you know that just $10 provides one person clean drinking water for their entire life? Yes, $10 for a life time of clean drinking water. Living Water International is providing gift cards this year for the donations you make in someone’s name. I encourage you to check out http://adventconspiracy.org/ Watch the video- it IS the skinny on Christmas this year!

The story of Christ's birth is a story of PROMISE, HOPE, and a revolutionary LOVE.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to a season of true giving!

When we worship fully, spend less, give more and love all, we are telling the true ‘skinny’ story of Christmas!

I would be happy to help anyone wanting more information on this. Feel free to email me at vickie.minnella@gmail.com

Thankful for Struggles

Struggles are not easy and I have been through quite a few, BUT, those very struggles are what made me the 'ME I AM TODAY'! I wish there was a magic answer to speed up a hard time and arrive at the sunshine that lies just on the other side and still gain the mounds of growth that accompanies the trials. The reality is that during the darkness, we have the ability to be reshaped- for better or worse.

Struggles have taught me to rid myself of toxic people, habits, relationships and various other things along the way

Struggles have taught me that no one else is going to do it for me. I have to create my life for who I believe I am designed to be.

Struggles have taught me what is truly important in life: my children, family, friends, and career ambitions and the importance of time.

Struggles have taught me to embrace some of the very qualities that people have had negative issues with like my tenacious, goal oriented, hard-headed energy level to persevere through just about anything.

Struggles have taught me to love in a way that is not dependent upon another person at my side, but a far greater God- the one true meaning of love.

Struggles have taught me to be the friend to those I continue to surround myself with and make memories, whether they are in my life for a season or forever. Some of the greatest memories of my life are with my friends and they have seen me through my darkest struggles.

Struggles are making me the mother I am called to be. I am continuing to learn so much everyday about my beautiful kids and their strengths and gifts. I could not ask for more blessings than I receive through them alone.

Today I am grateful for struggles for sometimes in order to GROW you have to be dropped in the DIRT, covered in DARKNESS and STRUGGLE to reach the LIGHT!

Thankful for Amazing Friends

Today I am thankful for my amazing friends! I have been blessed by the best friendships anyone could dream of! My friends have seen me through A LOT of trials and have encouraged me and helped me along the way. They pick me up when I am weak and cheer me on when I am strong!

My friends have been my strength through my cancer and divorce which happened to strike at the same time, through a major accident that left me in a wheelchair with very little hopes of ever walking again, a lot of loss: loss of a baby, a business, a house, a vehicle, relationships and even the loss of my grandma... and minus the baby, the rest of that 'list of loss' was all in last year! 

True friendship is hard to find in this world. I always strive to be that type of genuine fiend to others! 

Sometimes a friend is there to listen and other times a friend is there to scoop you up and carry you for a while.

But in the end a friend never judges you or belittles you. They never wish bad on you or take you for granted. They are there to call out truth and tell you when you are headed in the wrong direction, but loving enough to walk with you if you chose to take the hard way. Friends are the glue of my everyday life and for this I am grateful for all of them!! 

This upcoming Spring is a very important time for me to be a friend to one of the greatest friends I have known- my friend Jessica is getting married and I have the honor of being her Maid of Honor! I am so excited and hope to exceed all unwritten rules being the best Maid of Honor- ever! 

Thankful for amazing friends!