tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55314238528946238082024-03-15T20:09:11.745-05:00Going Nutty!with Miss SquirrelsMiss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-43993277220896220982023-06-16T20:57:00.003-05:002023-06-16T21:03:39.479-05:00It's NOT Christmas!<p> If you have followed me for even just a short time, you know I love Christmas- like, a lot. And it shows in my stories and posts even when it's months and months away. Sometimes I get a little heart for it and sometimes I get unfollowed for it. And once in a while I get a message or two reminding me the order of the holidays 😂 </p><p>Here's a little insight that is a short read- but still too long, I think, for a caption or a story.</p><p>Summer- It’s fun. More fun when we meet at the beach. But I am no longer a classroom teacher, so I’m still working. It’s not like it was before. </p><p>Halloween- Love scary movie season with Boop. But they are all over 19, so the candy and little ones aren’t a part of it for me any more.</p><p>Thanksgiving - I prepare meals and sit at the table with the people who mean the most to me multiple times a week. So that one day a year only stands out for the parade, the dog show, and the trip to see Christmas lights that night. </p><p>Then there’s those glorious days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.</p><p>The shopping. Baking. Choosing our tree and decorating. The movies. And finally Christmas Day. The absolute best part of the year. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lockdown in 2020 was made brighter by me realizing “Hey, this is my house and if I want to get in the attic and pull out decorations there’s nothing stopping me!”</p><p>So I have garland and lights on the mantle. I burn Christmas candles almost everyday. There are other Christmasy things here and there. I have a Christmas playlist that I listen to while I grocery shop each week, and I watch at least one Christmas movie every week. </p><p><br /></p><p>I took that amazing feeling that used to be reserved for just a few weeks at the end of every year and made it last all year long. And I continued it for ‘21, ‘22, and this year as well. </p><p><br /></p><p>And I have been lucky enough to connect with people online who love it just as much. ❤️ I’ve learned that the seasons, holidays, and vacations that mean the most to us are all relative to what stage of life we are in. </p><p><br /></p><p>So you might see a countdown here or there. When it gets closer, I am all about it. </p><p>Until then, I’m excited to see what makes you happy- whether it’s the beach, trick or treating, or Turkey day. I encourage you to celebrate whatever you can, whenever you can. </p><div><br /></div>Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-61954006161946375162019-04-23T10:22:00.000-05:002019-04-24T19:53:13.775-05:00Adding New Sticker Books to the Stash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I first got into the stickers and all the accessories, I was working out of a cart. And after everyone would go to bed (or if I had time alone), I would pull everything out and work on the couch if it was planner stuff and at the kitchen table if it was for the <a href="https://amzn.to/2XBwxPa">memory keeper.</a></div>
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Needless to say, that was not working for me- at all. So I commandeered a desk from Squish's room, refinished it, and VOILA! I have a place for me and all my planner stash!</div>
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One of the drawers is dedicated solely to my sticker books. To make it easier to see which was which, I used some of the tricks I saw on Instagram and Pinterest. Those are pretty straight forward, but there's one more little thing that is a big help.</div>
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Luckily I just hit the new release jackpot and got the LAST four that have had me on edge while I search for them. I took a few shots as I was getting them ready to add to my desk so I could share how I set them up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9U3eY1egwRslJsh3hCNQ5m8VWmDk0aXGFSfu-rIUBqA0pyUD1dm5sd830IDsEojPf3dGjl3WFqVql7nflI0KAhhyQMuDeHDTZRuv8QDVBEjwFDWRtOfkcS_bv0jWUEj8AhIw4Phs6c/s1600/2019-04-17+10.31.48-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6I9U3eY1egwRslJsh3hCNQ5m8VWmDk0aXGFSfu-rIUBqA0pyUD1dm5sd830IDsEojPf3dGjl3WFqVql7nflI0KAhhyQMuDeHDTZRuv8QDVBEjwFDWRtOfkcS_bv0jWUEj8AhIw4Phs6c/s320/2019-04-17+10.31.48-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I could not wait to get my hands on Happy Year, Colorful Boxes 3, Free Spirit 2, and most of all <a href="https://amzn.to/2XCyX04" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Botanical</a>. All the heart eyes for that one! </div>
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Since I am looking down on them with them being in a drawer, I decided to write the name of the sticker book on the top left. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEFpRfz9Z-1FiWGZOQrtlpM2EY9AtqKwImeq6GC-Q0b5UovoTaN6ngRWuho_Nbe_K1R6ZaVpJWNojWnFBu8R2nhTkEz6lUplP-aoZAeUhsIAx25vUqCTluyJ2Uz3r7GLo8JzwXd_Jcek/s1600/2019-04-17+10.33.36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEFpRfz9Z-1FiWGZOQrtlpM2EY9AtqKwImeq6GC-Q0b5UovoTaN6ngRWuho_Nbe_K1R6ZaVpJWNojWnFBu8R2nhTkEz6lUplP-aoZAeUhsIAx25vUqCTluyJ2Uz3r7GLo8JzwXd_Jcek/s320/2019-04-17+10.33.36-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I just use a regular <a href="https://amzn.to/2GCKIxP" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">chalk marker.</a> It's forgiving enough if I make a mistake when I am writing it on there and strong enough to stay put. (And trust me, I am ALWAYS touching them).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QMSE2uJbuPG0AOH8M8pQapvfHdm_5Jh813fIlga4tPRA0p90b1hUfuoOzbdurg8dYUaQ5VehOgwNfUPQMsrtTTkKHe8QWJ_fh3oEXdoKGJu-xhpSiiVj_wewcWa3rxntMqJutKg9iKQ/s1600/2019-04-17+10.32.56-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QMSE2uJbuPG0AOH8M8pQapvfHdm_5Jh813fIlga4tPRA0p90b1hUfuoOzbdurg8dYUaQ5VehOgwNfUPQMsrtTTkKHe8QWJ_fh3oEXdoKGJu-xhpSiiVj_wewcWa3rxntMqJutKg9iKQ/s320/2019-04-17+10.32.56-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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After I get them labeled from the top, I turn them around and cut off the bottom elastic. I know. Some people have a hard time with this. They think that the books aren't going to stay closed. </div>
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They will. Unless you are folding the front cover behind the book, they are going to stay closed. </div>
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I originally started cutting them off and tying them to the top because ..... I saw it on the gram! Lol. Seriously, everyone else was doing it so I thought I needed to, too. And it was a kind of helpful to look for a certain color top when I was flipping through them. (This was before I was writing on top). BUT then I started accumulating more books, and many of the color elastics are the same (or very close). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe0g2D5j4b2CZb_nNsHF9ku8PB-2cUcCkJ40yWroMA0kYnFPDfuRKalUaZXVxkGd08c7xCDAf8fQ9-V4oeGL0h0r6sgUMbLBqnUvJQARKasuShS8qlos_dU8BVuFqfdA78WHSlibD6Z8/s1600/2019-04-17+10.32.36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe0g2D5j4b2CZb_nNsHF9ku8PB-2cUcCkJ40yWroMA0kYnFPDfuRKalUaZXVxkGd08c7xCDAf8fQ9-V4oeGL0h0r6sgUMbLBqnUvJQARKasuShS8qlos_dU8BVuFqfdA78WHSlibD6Z8/s320/2019-04-17+10.32.36-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Not only does it help to identify, it also helps to hold the pages together if they start to come loose. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2UUcdCeC2WDO0VBNvZyVrVJOorw0sf8K3hl4yBROYf8b9gGuaBhWOp93v6CNlHsJCZe3ZbWywcnMXnddipdNbt8FpzxM76_t6haVOgn6_vJKeguXmzi4MPsYb4V9mPGj5mDtBRKoqSs/s1600/2019-04-17+10.34.21-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2UUcdCeC2WDO0VBNvZyVrVJOorw0sf8K3hl4yBROYf8b9gGuaBhWOp93v6CNlHsJCZe3ZbWywcnMXnddipdNbt8FpzxM76_t6haVOgn6_vJKeguXmzi4MPsYb4V9mPGj5mDtBRKoqSs/s320/2019-04-17+10.34.21-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now there's one more thing I do before I add them the drawer to be used. Some of you will gasp. I know that there are many who keep their books with the elastic on, no writing, and perfectly pristine. And that is OK. That works for lots of people. But I am using them ALL the time. I am constantly thumbing through to find the perfect sticker for a weekly spread or for an accent in the <a href="https://amzn.to/2XBwxPa" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Memory Keeper.</a></div>
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And even though they are so easy to identify, I still came across one more tiny thing that kind of bugged me. The front of one book would get caught on the back of another book when I was putting them back in the drawer. It was those darn grommets that hold the elastic on. So......</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWy3dL7r83OiGSFu1ZEVr68KAD_xQ_RNZp9aY3kdea8EoUqtz1-t5cVN8NYyJ9USN3qCVhXbQFQUeirmvar3alvFZ0oStxM3NnfXd7XChCVTjS5aSp1v_XvwgZLINQtthZdhwqJR6kWM/s1600/2019-04-17+10.34.42-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWy3dL7r83OiGSFu1ZEVr68KAD_xQ_RNZp9aY3kdea8EoUqtz1-t5cVN8NYyJ9USN3qCVhXbQFQUeirmvar3alvFZ0oStxM3NnfXd7XChCVTjS5aSp1v_XvwgZLINQtthZdhwqJR6kWM/s320/2019-04-17+10.34.42-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I decided to cut them right off. Just that little black strip on the back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnIDV7XTYTXvlmMThoQbJ5PZd8h85GJUjrPns2kmVcAlxFpH9ua80WQwki3YLj03nrHctIAfiIU0m37289ukppwI9ASShgHMZuhsQ2OugoLJoD3B90K1f-7EM8UfPCQ_i58PJNaDH4rw/s1600/2019-04-17+10.35.05-1+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnIDV7XTYTXvlmMThoQbJ5PZd8h85GJUjrPns2kmVcAlxFpH9ua80WQwki3YLj03nrHctIAfiIU0m37289ukppwI9ASShgHMZuhsQ2OugoLJoD3B90K1f-7EM8UfPCQ_i58PJNaDH4rw/s320/2019-04-17+10.35.05-1+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BurhQQjp1JznRqJYtuw2CFxdsjSL6Emrlz3ki_FWjaQtOGUfLD5quiyWwu4CgAGvhr7r9K7PzA5H_SLHBPa_BGlI-MjTX-ro94chlIC3Q-F8PzNYJwsiqepPWcpxSx2LGm7jtR6yvQM/s1600/2019-04-17+10.39.42-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BurhQQjp1JznRqJYtuw2CFxdsjSL6Emrlz3ki_FWjaQtOGUfLD5quiyWwu4CgAGvhr7r9K7PzA5H_SLHBPa_BGlI-MjTX-ro94chlIC3Q-F8PzNYJwsiqepPWcpxSx2LGm7jtR6yvQM/s320/2019-04-17+10.39.42-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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So when I slide them in and out of the drawer I don't have to worry them catching and bending the front cover. It doesn't do anything to the functionality of the book. It just makes it easier to store them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIol1rW-C0WB0KoprOAc1SIQXf0sq121aQMMnyUdbQmCzq9bSGWSJtvPpNeNVfdiq0StM9bZf6tYgNmc-zyMOzHDuc8MRZg62cIQ_cHggmjjkWtenjqvjEoOg9nu5AzSiiIo_da4VVhE/s1600/2019-04-17+10.35.44-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIol1rW-C0WB0KoprOAc1SIQXf0sq121aQMMnyUdbQmCzq9bSGWSJtvPpNeNVfdiq0StM9bZf6tYgNmc-zyMOzHDuc8MRZg62cIQ_cHggmjjkWtenjqvjEoOg9nu5AzSiiIo_da4VVhE/s320/2019-04-17+10.35.44-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is a quick pic of the rows- totally not in any order- other than the striped washi I put on all the Happy Memory and Big Sticker books for when I am working in my <a href="https://amzn.to/2XBwxPa" style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">Memory Keeper</a>. It just makes organizing a little easier.</div>
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So that's it. When a new sticker book comes into the house, it gets snipped, tied, and labeled and it is ready to join all the other beauties that already live here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xvg7pkg19tx4OPq4pX1HwsLgVIdvdXTBN4U2xd02A7FzrRtBKKs-oO8O76REX4nTfd_OluJ9IzTuBzdmo21N6f90umHbX0aZlsbLvzKbFSB4zaV9w9igFzPi-59NIPZ8p98kowgUSkk/s1600/2019-04-17+10.39.36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xvg7pkg19tx4OPq4pX1HwsLgVIdvdXTBN4U2xd02A7FzrRtBKKs-oO8O76REX4nTfd_OluJ9IzTuBzdmo21N6f90umHbX0aZlsbLvzKbFSB4zaV9w9igFzPi-59NIPZ8p98kowgUSkk/s320/2019-04-17+10.39.36-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If you have a great tip, leave it or the link for it in the comments. I would LOVE to check it out! I am always on the hunt for new ways to plan and play with my planners.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/shop/missysquirrels"><img height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlK5LVlSMx5aZ5hpiAAweHakOPsi9-qpUvOvL78Oh1t8Opm6kiMTozbbm-WzrSzp1aCBXk2xwFbV0dnt4mVDIEWOK-TAFRIG2oUR5ptiQFVInXh7nDYJbnXF7_2cbWxfGXQbizS44sFg/s320/6Lezl5RX.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Head over here to see which Memory Keeper I am currently using, along with my favorite Happy Memory Sticker Books. I also have a list of the tools that I use to create my memory pages every week! Be sure to follow so you'll see when I add something that I actually use and love!</div>
Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-54256781171082617932019-04-10T10:28:00.000-05:002019-04-10T10:42:19.114-05:00Meal Planning Helper!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, here we are! I took the pictures to make this tutorial on my blog over a month ago. Actually, it may have been over two months ago. I think I was mostly nervous because it has been so long since I have written anything longer than an Instagram caption.</div>
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It used to be my favorite part of the night, to sit down my with laptop and write about what was going on or what I was using in my classroom. And while things have changed considerably, I do still love sitting down to write every night. Except now I am writing in my planner or catching up in my Memory Keeper - basically doing something at my desk.</div>
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I wanted to share one of the things I made for my planner to help me out in the meal planning department. (Y'all know how much I love that!)</div>
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I was going to make this a video instead of writing about it, maybe the next time I make something I will think about the filming before I get started. </div>
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This little tool that I made for meal planning has come in so handy! </div>
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Like many of you, I shop once a week for groceries. And also like many of you, I am a lone ship on the ocean of meal planning. They are not much help, especially since I have taken out so much of the bad food that we used to eat. They know I am going to say "NO!" so they don't bother. </div>
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These cards that I made are not only adorable, but they have really been helping me out for the last two months. </div>
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Let's take a look at the finished product first:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGED7GxsFsczy5lmg0nx-4xOWMU3nNb6DnIeVEp9hlG2f3SVe7klA9gmZEpkB-RPRmjxTIyNliDf4vuZttdt1T4SSgggPuKDbo72o1nIYg_fTZZ22C5pPXsTo-E2fGzNTbDYlOe0YVpA/s1600/Watermarked2%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGED7GxsFsczy5lmg0nx-4xOWMU3nNb6DnIeVEp9hlG2f3SVe7klA9gmZEpkB-RPRmjxTIyNliDf4vuZttdt1T4SSgggPuKDbo72o1nIYg_fTZZ22C5pPXsTo-E2fGzNTbDYlOe0YVpA/s320/Watermarked2%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5ZBqT44Hdg1QenK_f326DQOV5h2cHeh1-x6jqeBDZ6349S1G2awpOYU0V7_6ZcmGubotkj1ZGkfy265CMHt9KhE6880h_d6ICSmuX3ND5567LFprhi8dPNflJ8x2rRvCAd2S7iIlQ4s/s1600/Watermarked3%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5ZBqT44Hdg1QenK_f326DQOV5h2cHeh1-x6jqeBDZ6349S1G2awpOYU0V7_6ZcmGubotkj1ZGkfy265CMHt9KhE6880h_d6ICSmuX3ND5567LFprhi8dPNflJ8x2rRvCAd2S7iIlQ4s/s320/Watermarked3%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I made these cards with meal ideas of things we ALREADY like and eat. Some of them are Whole 30 and some are not (but you can see that). I used a Happy Planner <a href="https://amzn.to/2P3UWJX"><span style="color: blue;">photo insert</span></a> to set the cards in. They live right next to my grocery list in my planner. That way when I am planning for the upcoming week, I can get ideas without having to ask everyone in the house. It makes planning for week so much easier. On one side of the page, I have Whole 30 meals and on the other side I have, you guessed it, Not Whole 30 meals.</div>
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It really was super simple!</div>
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First, I went through all of my old meal plans and made a separate list of entrees and sides. Things that repeated themselves often were obviously going to make it onto the cards.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB0ykwafr8nsoslr2a0NIVS3XV5TmlfpW2MpIPiztawF6UTKxgFGR04LgW2LQB6DRSjjVKGTfXrptZrdgVSdOJ72THlUXLIQhHln2R4jhYRP3EHBsGYSR7OfYRk1FnUz9IRP0AaV11WA/s1600/Watermarked5%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEB0ykwafr8nsoslr2a0NIVS3XV5TmlfpW2MpIPiztawF6UTKxgFGR04LgW2LQB6DRSjjVKGTfXrptZrdgVSdOJ72THlUXLIQhHln2R4jhYRP3EHBsGYSR7OfYRk1FnUz9IRP0AaV11WA/s320/Watermarked5%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I set the list aside, and cut a 4x6 photo card into 4ths, The size is important because we want these to fit into the<a href="https://amzn.to/2P3UWJX"> <span style="color: blue;">photo page</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>when we are done. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTfOFvAqEtg1a3Wtd3QcDIUE5KaH1fG6liSbwW-8-5ERUbGBdQlnVCk5mwao75uxnaGWPmW-5E9HQkRvDfydjwVEMt-DHVCDJ2ubX2Uu1NM4v8zX7TGlQ68WDauPT_-YCsqvOiF8Y5-c/s1600/Watermarked7%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTfOFvAqEtg1a3Wtd3QcDIUE5KaH1fG6liSbwW-8-5ERUbGBdQlnVCk5mwao75uxnaGWPmW-5E9HQkRvDfydjwVEMt-DHVCDJ2ubX2Uu1NM4v8zX7TGlQ68WDauPT_-YCsqvOiF8Y5-c/s320/Watermarked7%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now the fun part: STICKERS! </div>
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I used stickers from the <a href="https://amzn.to/2U7BywS"><span style="color: blue;">Happy Planner Food Value Pack</span></a> to decorate the bottom of the cards. I was trying to go all healthy, but the burger and the mac and cheese were just too cute!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJ_YSMje58VExEs2tV4xW8pTV3dxa8ylnPcT6R_kxHagdI1Q3RsCtp-vzXnWrI1KKuabrPHPZAD0WCeQ80Jf9Sls305CSg9hg8HAgldM9a1quk2SvovU_ISWGaAZAVYMKg8fTltW0x8/s1600/Watermarked8%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAJ_YSMje58VExEs2tV4xW8pTV3dxa8ylnPcT6R_kxHagdI1Q3RsCtp-vzXnWrI1KKuabrPHPZAD0WCeQ80Jf9Sls305CSg9hg8HAgldM9a1quk2SvovU_ISWGaAZAVYMKg8fTltW0x8/s320/Watermarked8%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mYXsPMkt0sHTMytqURog7PhZ2fwVCP5fuHENFY2-9gv45v1lf4k50LvITHe1nDj_tes23ond5BUHVBgCVsgGGlk3m7mJl7a4NYek0Yio8piYA7cwmv98irvZLqRE3ZBUZGhbjTeCi6o/s1600/Watermarked9%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mYXsPMkt0sHTMytqURog7PhZ2fwVCP5fuHENFY2-9gv45v1lf4k50LvITHe1nDj_tes23ond5BUHVBgCVsgGGlk3m7mJl7a4NYek0Yio8piYA7cwmv98irvZLqRE3ZBUZGhbjTeCi6o/s320/Watermarked9%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74zpRtXfk_claqQXji_292Y_EtAX5JkcxThyCImeWwyobKxJAYy3ZZUBTl7aJ1lDfyjfqOhF1ZCnaRb6T-vn0D-eJZfZ_8nEx2BmWPyXsSYZS-NNjWfh9SK3-y0YH8mMd9J87SdGY7yI/s1600/Watermarked10%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74zpRtXfk_claqQXji_292Y_EtAX5JkcxThyCImeWwyobKxJAYy3ZZUBTl7aJ1lDfyjfqOhF1ZCnaRb6T-vn0D-eJZfZ_8nEx2BmWPyXsSYZS-NNjWfh9SK3-y0YH8mMd9J87SdGY7yI/s320/Watermarked10%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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Ok, the next part gets a tad techy- but not really. It was just a matter of scanning these four little cards on my printer/scanner. I scanned them as a photo, opened a Google Slide and placed the scanned picture in the background. I was then able to type the headings and lists. When I printed the page, I just cut out the cards separately and placed them in the <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2P3UWJX">photo holder</a>.</span> </div>
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If that sounds like too much work, then I have a link for you! Now, using this means you will be skipping the sticker step and your cards will look just like mine. But if you are in it just for the functionality, then this is just what you need! </div>
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After you click this link, it will tell you to make a copy- that's so we all aren't writing on each other's meal cards 😉</div>
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yehEdy0fR5aAP0iN1hhBY0vdr8W2JArqctMT60_ZRdk/edit#slide=id.p">https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yehEdy0fR5aAP0iN1hhBY0vdr8W2JArqctMT60_ZRdk/copy#slide=id.p</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMiSJ8YVfQ7l9lJfs2sy6WULHlUpJV1fM_lt9-roLqNdapkKvZ8zAxM6CQRH1O6WxDL2YVO3Hr6P5Z9_wb6FIY-sP8pENMMMHX0KEkLA4iLY_uhmeguGsvgucuGeH35t15nuZvqswR6I/s1600/Screenshot+%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1023" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMiSJ8YVfQ7l9lJfs2sy6WULHlUpJV1fM_lt9-roLqNdapkKvZ8zAxM6CQRH1O6WxDL2YVO3Hr6P5Z9_wb6FIY-sP8pENMMMHX0KEkLA4iLY_uhmeguGsvgucuGeH35t15nuZvqswR6I/s400/Screenshot+%25285%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Once you open it, you can change the headings, the lists, the fonts- make it what works for you- and I'm telling you, this really works for me! I've been using it since the beginning of February this year and it has made a big difference!</div>
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After you print your "cards" on card stock or regular paper (and it doesn't really matter because they will be in the<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="https://amzn.to/2P3UWJX">protector)</a></span>, you place them in the page next to the pages you meal plan in .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMXHqVLDoqv_THeUmgjbsG-M1w8I_XT4_MtbBQJf7YBNUMXhJ3u2uxr6_QcYzZYeonq8hNOQBjyLlFh0DTf_eeqZceZaZPz4YR4cpjCRlJJlOETR7oRjp3W2HBNNEhJF_DHYrJKf5U1A/s1600/Watermarked4%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMXHqVLDoqv_THeUmgjbsG-M1w8I_XT4_MtbBQJf7YBNUMXhJ3u2uxr6_QcYzZYeonq8hNOQBjyLlFh0DTf_eeqZceZaZPz4YR4cpjCRlJJlOETR7oRjp3W2HBNNEhJF_DHYrJKf5U1A/s320/Watermarked4%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have placed a few post-its on the page in my planner since I have done this, And I make a note that I need to go back into the computer, add a meal, and reprint. This will be really simple to do, just a matter of editing and reprinting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfLZYZXrpNyu0OAeUkM7afRXpRYInneLTm4771o4ectjFQKyWl7LOqSykteGEzeKumyWZ23wrRWoyXLo5EXlwnVlr3f_zf9HQbyTo8X3UabhV3UsxjMaYGveU9r7Aatjy4HCZTSg0ZbY/s1600/Watermarked6%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfLZYZXrpNyu0OAeUkM7afRXpRYInneLTm4771o4ectjFQKyWl7LOqSykteGEzeKumyWZ23wrRWoyXLo5EXlwnVlr3f_zf9HQbyTo8X3UabhV3UsxjMaYGveU9r7Aatjy4HCZTSg0ZbY/s320/Watermarked6%25282019-02-22-0006%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I never in a million years thought that one book would be so important or serve as many purposes as this one does for me. I do have tons more to share. Whether or not I will share them with via video, instagram, blog, tweet- who knows-?!!? It all depends on the time of day, the amount pictures I took and whether or not I am having a good hair day! 🤣</div>
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Below are some of the materials I used while making this tool for my planner! Let me know in the comments if you are able to use this, too! And also, if you have any questions about how I set it up- I would love the feedback!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=stuffsquirrel-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B01BVJ52II&asins=B01BVJ52II&linkId=92a41da3c1bd1ce086429e685a119d18&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=stuffsquirrel-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07CJY7QNG&asins=B07CJY7QNG&linkId=70c067808f00a94595a47c184dda51bd&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></p>
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Also, check out my Amazon Storefront for other items I constantly use for Planning and Memory Keeping!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/shop/missysquirrels"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8N4Mu6FDgRQrb8btKvLV-nyIazsIKMPS7CjwzzO_jHyNoewlbQbV4j-y63gwBuv5d1OI6CiPBN0EpwxgMIxl5KM5piTlT2ZkS5xPAGr9x3VUntyL8XujVVn6tHsA8U39TeV4rmyjcA0/s320/6Lezl5RX.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-56929103181771927662018-06-30T14:26:00.000-05:002018-06-30T14:26:11.250-05:00 A Grocery List I Don't HateIt is just amazing to me how much grocery shopping has changed now that we are making better choices. Don't get me wrong- I still HATE going to the grocery store, and I still hate planning the meals, and blah blah blah. But at least I am organized and not wasting a boat load of money while I'm doing it.<br />
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Just click on the picture below to get the editable Google sheet that I made for my grocery list. When you click it, it will prompt you to make your own copy (that way we all aren't writing on each other's lists).<br />
When you get ready to print <span style="color: red;"><u>pay attention</u></span> to how many pages- you only need page 1.<br />
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And if you are printing this to insert into a Classic Happy Planner, you can set the custom printing size to 87% and it makes a perfect size- you just have to trim a little off before punching!<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P4dwJ5fVhbq9tQjRs1TnUEpvJlN9IXThXhCPnOmGHfk/copy?usp=sharing"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivK9ivlWdRWs7dqnojtX4gm2i0MW9X1vanCfX56OQabhs9bZNRysGBuFKz7r80XBBbp_rQKsxBNT2V_KALmk0zUhxZmDDO7RmSoF2g51pCoe2A9hmHONGl2VdQTfX3dkjm-tEZDyRSAGg/s320/grocery+shop+to+share.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Happy Meal Planning! </div>
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XOXOXO</div>
<br />Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-20134361853191448272018-05-25T21:54:00.000-05:002018-05-25T21:54:09.858-05:00Half of ThirtyBefore I get started on writing this post about the first half of my Whole30 journey, let me preface by saying that for the last 20 years I have treated my body like a garbage can. So there is a very distinct possibility that the start of ANY healthy program would show great results for me.<br />
Also let me say that there aren't any affiliate links in this post. I'm not trying to sell you anything or profit in any way by sharing with you.<br />
I am just overwhelmed at how things have changed for me.<br />
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Let me tell you (in one paragraph or less, please) why I even chose to start the Whole30. For years I have had issues with my stomach. Pretty much everything I ate affected me in a not so positive way. It got to the point this school year that I was taking two water bottles to work in the morning and not eating anything until I got home for the day.....just in case. Yes, I went all day without eating for 8 months. And I gained weight. I wasn't active and when I did eat, it was not a good choice. Ever.<br />
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I started hitting the walking trail pretty hard at the beginning of Feb this year, and I was putting in some serious steps. But there weren't any changes in my body- not how I felt or how I looked. The Dr wanted to run a series of tests.Wanted to say that it was IBS and that I should take this little blue pill (not that one) 20 minutes before I eat to prevent the issues..<br />
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I decided I don't want to live like that. I needed to do something different.<br />
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So I searched and read several reviews and results from different programs. I needed to find something that was going to change the way I eat. I also needed to find something that he was going to do with me. I told him about the program and ordered the book.<br />
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When the book came, I read it from front to back. I made notes, marked recipes, and made copies of pages for him to carry in his lunchbox as a reminder.<br />
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And on May 9th we officially started the Whole30.<br />
I'm going to tell you our results "so far" before I tell you what we have gone through.<br />
As I am writing this, it is Day 14 and I have lost 24lbs. He has lost 37lbs. (And by doing so I have broken the ONLY rule that I had no willpower against....<u><b>the scale</b></u>. I was changing so fast, I had to know! You are not supposed to weigh yourself for the 30 days. I would like it known that I did hold out for seven days).<br />
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Did that grab your attention? I figured I'd hit you up with some numbers before I got to the end to keep you reading.<br />
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What Are Rules?<br />
They are pretty simple. Until you figure out that these seven things are in <u>everything we normally eat</u>.<br />
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For 30 Days:<br />
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NO ALCOHOL<br />
NO GRAIN<br />
NO DAIRY<br />
NO SOY<br />
NO LEGUMES<br />
NO CARRAGEENAN (I didn't know what that was until I started either).<br />
NO SUGAR<br />
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The book gives you some great recipes to start with. And also a 7 Day meal plan- to give you an idea of how to incorporate last night's dinner into breakfast. And then there's google and pinterest for finding more. I was most worried about the alcohol and the sugar. The alcohol really isn't that big of a deal. (But have you met me)? And I really don't mind not having "sweets". But it's not just sweets- sugar is in EVERYTHING. Ketchup, taco seasoning, dressing. And if there's no sugar, there's probably soy. Tuna, some hot teas, most seasonings I wanted to try. It is pretty restrictive when it comes to seasonings, but I am cooking with a lot of garlic, ginger, lemon, and regular old salt and pepper.<br />
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If you have done the Whole30 or you know someone who has, you know that while the results come fast, they do not come without a ton of work. I think it's worth it though, for us to see what we WERE putting in our bodies and to change the relationship we had with food for so many years. I thought I would list a few things that have been the best AND the most trying for the last two weeks.<br />
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One of the hard parts in this house is NOT EVERYONE IS DOING IT. So while I am planning and prepping and cooking and storing all this wonderfully delicious food, I am also making regualr dinners for the crew! We have come to a compromise, though. There WILL be repeats in the same week. Since Moose and I aren't eating the share of those meals that we used to, there's plenty for leftover. I was very frank and told them this was going to happen when we started. I refuse to throw out perfectly good food (as was visably noticeable by the weight I had gained).<br />
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On the same vein, they are trying the new recipes that we are having for our meals and liking a lot of them. So that means those meals can come back when the 30 days are over. And Schmoopie has been eating fruit like crazy. There has been so much more in the house than before. And so much less of the junk that used to fill the pantry,<br />
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I have been IN the kitchen for two solid weeks. No joke. There's is not a convience factor at all. I cook/prep his breakfast and lunch for the following day every night. His containers have a special place on the shelf. And I make my breakfast and lunch fresh everyday (because I don't like cold eggs). And then there's making sauces- homemade mayo. homemade dressings. homemade kethcup.<br />
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To go along with all the cooking, there is a buttload of clean up! (That's where the kiddos come in)<br />
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You TALK ABOUT FOOD ALL THE TIME.You have to talk it over with you partner to see if they like the food that you're having,<br />
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You will READ MORE LABELS in your life that you ever have! The disappointment in both of our eyes when we see something that will taste devine but inevitably has sugar or cane sugar in it!<br />
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We had SEVERAL days in the first week where we were pretty grouchy. And there were a few headaches, but it all passed pretty quickly.<br />
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Those are some of the things that have been a little aggravating. BUT there have been so many NON SCALE VICTORIES. My skin feels and looks great. I have a boatload of energy. My clothes are way too big and that means I get to do a little shopping before we leave for the beach! Neighbors and friends who don't know we are doing the Whole30 are noticing and commenting on the changes. And we are changing the way we think about food! (I think that is going to be key).<br />
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And it's important to note that we have also upped our movement during this time. I am walking a few more miles everyday and I added resistance bands and yoga (courtesy of Youtube and Amazon Prime Video) .<br />
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It is our plan already to incorporate this new way of eating into our everyday when the 30 days are over. We just have too- plus I think I would miss all the fruit!<br />
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My plan is to get back on here at the end....I have a pic in a dress that I bought for a trip we took in the beginning of the month- I can't wait to try it on at the end! Maybe I'll even post a pic!<br />
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Have a great Holiday Weekend!<br />
<br />Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-7134644028484074532017-08-02T20:13:00.001-05:002017-08-02T20:13:48.802-05:00Shopping with Squirrels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6je7hoDN0ueICa1xr2NZJkc6RNXQVMQ8UNkbdtH8QkUiM5MjHrvdx7KdJsM-NWBN355qqOIGqhwi49W-DuCBYT0zHqTS6zQSg6pfXveWEKubaBUgfdCESuVDaZCmsobcwcVpF4Sbok8/s1600/DGRDgdgU0AEXglO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6je7hoDN0ueICa1xr2NZJkc6RNXQVMQ8UNkbdtH8QkUiM5MjHrvdx7KdJsM-NWBN355qqOIGqhwi49W-DuCBYT0zHqTS6zQSg6pfXveWEKubaBUgfdCESuVDaZCmsobcwcVpF4Sbok8/s320/DGRDgdgU0AEXglO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Everyone loves a little giggle now and then and that is exactly what I am thinking with each cozy that I create. I like to think that every time someone takes one out to use it, they are not only using them for their purpose, but they also getting a little chuckle out of it. And I get especially giddy when I think of the conversations they start! 😊</div>
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The profile link in my Instagram has all the information that you would need to get some coffee love on it's way to your mailbox. The problem is, they are all different links. And if you aren't exactly sure how you are wanting to purchase, it could get confusing. Until now!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQaxtaVfcGKQa9YLdORV0ha37UeSPraATRG7xIhKl2C1SlpzAkNLhUILXtM4MWxZ3StQuS5WzDjKe3qI9u1ONfSxIH_pYIy9AKKRSKjgX_UPnAAtz5iPnGIzpvTTipH28NzCDuzIpsVk/s1600/DGQ6w4zUIAE6AE8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="1200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQaxtaVfcGKQa9YLdORV0ha37UeSPraATRG7xIhKl2C1SlpzAkNLhUILXtM4MWxZ3StQuS5WzDjKe3qI9u1ONfSxIH_pYIy9AKKRSKjgX_UPnAAtz5iPnGIzpvTTipH28NzCDuzIpsVk/s400/DGQ6w4zUIAE6AE8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MissSquirrelsShop" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzyKJypISbC4V7Mlh1MlZB0cdreO3AQ7T6e3oKnxAdYt0MN4IxhwE4k5D1ffq5TntO4TMbpHmYtlKe7r-VeYVGOxuybHtbdWkf1iIXJWsRxy8PhNPrjRyJf2OZEU29iRpXXfKevbOSLs/s320/DGQ48oIVoAEuk0X.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Click to go to the Shop</span></b></td></tr>
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You can always head directly to my shop. Every cozy that is currently available is listed in the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MissSquirrelsShop">shop</a>.<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MissSquirrelsShop">HERE</a></div>
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Each cozy has it's own listing. Be sure to read the descriptions because sometimes you can SAVE when you buy more than one. If this is the case, it will be noted at the top of the listing and there will be a separate listing for the bundle.</div>
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When you purchase from the shop, the cozies are between $10-$12 (depending on which one you order). Shipping is an additional $3.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/p/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiIpcg8lBaJogLVVdsMUPEdQg-X20qMtmizSor8noNnyk_8IbzAAw8Iw6ZCjaiUGgJiWo8YYXq25By3wHYzDBn6rwgZp0n92VnoXvABBuCjMub7saAeC64Gg39aV1PIA4cT1L1pY6xxU/s320/DGQ46j2UAAA99W-.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Click to Read More !</span></b></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/p/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html">A Calendar of Cozies</a></div>
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Yep! The whole Calendar! We're talking turkeys, snowmen, rainbows, hearts, and so much more! This option has one themed cozy AUTOMATICALLY coming to your mailbox EVERY month for an ENTIRE YEAR! Yep! That's 12 cozies! AND you even get a surprise during your birthday month! 😉 This is done just like any subscription service! You sign up using the secure PayPal link and will be automatically billed $12 a month for 12 months. And the SHIPPING is INCLUDED!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/p/seasons-edition-calendar-of-cozies.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAsrXjB8KCS_Qi9TmC5PNH77JpUshv3hOzILDGWxO8pnYguRqePmnQ1QLBYh967uExI3Qzb1ScVjsCOjoNWhpZR7TGcv6QOUsBHVR1fqyHsbUYTBM83vreRd15fcl1oD1lhZo-YTP2Zg/s320/DGQ44sbVwAAmDTt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Click to read more about Seasons!</b></span></td></tr>
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This is the NEWEST way to have some coffee love each month! I've listened to feedback and now I offer <a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/p/seasons-edition-calendar-of-cozies.html">SEASONS</a>. The <a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/p/seasons-edition-calendar-of-cozies.html">SEASONS</a> are smaller 3 month subscriptions. The months that are in that season are listed. The main difference between a Season and a Whole Calendar is the Seasons have start and end dates for signing up for them- the Whole Calendars are available all the time. A Season can be paid for two ways: 1) through a secure PayPal link that automatically bills $13 a month for 3 months or 2) save $3 and do a one time payment of $36 through a PayPal link. Again- SHIPPING is INCLUDED!</div>
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Pretty easy, right? The best way to get all the info is to sign up for the newletter. I swear I'm not spammy. Just a couple emails a month to let you know which ones are coming or going. I also send out coupon codes to newsletter subscribers FIRST ! And sometimes are there are FREE items - and there are also giveaways from the shop that subscribers are already entered into automatically- just for being a subscriber!!! </div>
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As always, if you have any questions at all..... you can DM, IM, use the convo on ETSY- or drop it here! </div>
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Hope you have fun shopping!</div>
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See you at the mailbox 📪</div>
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💗 Squirrels</div>
Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-76549367069575033402017-05-31T19:56:00.000-05:002017-05-31T19:56:11.251-05:00A Change of Plans<div style="text-align: left;">
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This post is a hard one. I haven't published one since May 31, 2016.A whole year. Even though I sat down to write one August 26, 2016. I started it, and then clicked "save" instead of "publish". I just couldn't do it. I couldn't finish it. I have been gearing myself up for sometime to complete it.<br />
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And then I thought, "Well, I'll just write a different post to keep my blog active." But I couldn't do that either. Everytime I logged in, the draft was there and I felt like if I just skipped over it to write something else that I was leaving something undone. Not really for the readers, but for myself. And there was no way that I could delete it.<br />
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Below is the draft. Untouched and unedited from August 26th. I don't know what I am going to add. I don't know what else to say. But I know that today I am ready to say it.<br />
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CHANGE OF PLANS Aug 26, 2016<br />
This summer was going to be a very productive one.</div>
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I had a list a mile long of all the things we were going to declutter. And right after the end of school, the boys and I got started.</div>
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I started in our bedroom and got our closet cleaned out. It was pretty awful.</div>
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The next thing on the list was to get that garage cleaned out. There hasn't been a car parked in there in 5 or 6 years. It seemed like anything anyone ever didn't want was getting stacked in there with the claim that "one day it was going to go to the dump or to Goodwill". Well, it didn't.<br />
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The boys and I were making great progress on the garage. We actually took NINE trips to our local transfer station. There were some larger pieces of furniture, old decorations, and boxes of stuff that had not been opened since we moved here in 2003.</div>
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It was all going to go. The goal was to get the garage finished, take our yearly beach vacation, and then when we returned we were going to attack the attic. That was going to mean a lot more trips to the transfer station, but it was going to get done!</div>
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At least that is what we thought. Except we had a change of plans.</div>
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Instead of gutting out the top floor of the house, I was walking to my father's garden and taking pictures of it to bring back inside to show him. I had to show him the picures of the blooms on the cucumber plants and tiny cabbages that were growing out there because he couldn't go outside. The garden that he had labored over in the same spot for almost 30 years could now only be seen from the kitchen window. Maybe. If he was able to get up and walk in there.</div>
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Instead of sitting on the floor with the kids and going through old albums and yearbooks and toys that everyone thought they needed to save up there, I was sitting in his living room with my sister watching 3-hour westerns. The ones he had seen a million times before, but because he wanted to watch them again, we did.</div>
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Instead of waking up early to beat the heat up there, I was waking up on his couch. We asked the Hospice home health care people to put his hospital bed in the dining room. That way he could see out of his favorite window all day long if he wanted. The couch was only a few feet away and from there and I could hear him when he needed me.</div>
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And instead of making plans to lighten our load of all the things we had at one time declared a necessity, I was sitting in the funeral home helping my mother choose the urn that his ashes would be placed in before they were interred in the Veteran's Cemetery wall.</div>
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Six weeks. Just six very short weeks.</div>
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He was already sick when we left for the beach. We had mulled it over and over, trying to decide if we should still go. My sister had the same dilemma the week before. She had an out of town trip and had contemplated staying home because he was in the hospital at that time. I told her to go- I would be here to take care of him. And when it was my turn for our trip, she would be here. It was all planned out.</div>
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He was out of the hospital when we left for the beach but about half way through our trip my sister called. She didn't want to, but had figured that she would have wanted to know the latest news. He had to go back in and the pulmonary specialist had deteremined that it was not just pnemonia or COPD like they had thought, but instead it was pulmonary fibrosis. And there is no cure. And it's worse than they thought. And medicine is just going to "keep him comfortable". And we need to have the "family talk".</div>
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Devestated. I was 1,000 miles away from him and there was nothing I could do.</div>
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By the time we got back home I was down to just 3 weeks. Three even shorter weeks.</div>
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We started cooking whatever it was that he wanted to eat. His medicines had taken away most of his appetite and even more of his taste buds. He said everything had that same bland flavor. However, ice cream, puddings, and pies seemed to all still taste amazing. So if that was what he wanted, that was what I was going to make. Meatloaf and Salisbury Steak sounded good, too- so they immediately went on our family's menu so that we could take some to him. </div>
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He was in and out of the hospital for the next two weeks. I was so thankful to be off for the summer and to be able to be there for him when he needed something. I was trying to plan out in my head how I was going to balance that when school started back. How was I going to be able to be at work all day and take care of the kids, the house, and help my mom and sister care for him? But his need for more oxygen was increasing. His ability to be mobile was decreasing. He was so thin and tired. And scared and angry. He just couldn't believe that he was THAT sick THAT fast. He was worried that he wouldn't make it to his birthday. He started talking about his advance directive. He said he didn't want to stay on machines. When I went to visit him the day before he got released from the hospital, he showed me his "new bracelet". It said DNR.</div>
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One week. There was no way to know that I only had one week. </div>
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The call was made and hospice started. They brought him a hospital bed and walkers and larger oxygen concentrators. She said there wasn't any need for him to take all those medications that were making his stomach hurt and his food taste bad anymore. She gave us a folder full of booklets and pamphlets to read about what to expect. To be prepared. Nothing could have prepared us. </div>
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I stayed every night after he went into the hospital bed. I bought a huge bag of yarn, thinking I could make him a special blanket while we watched tv together. I started a new series on Netflix, thinking I could get through it while he was sleeping. I never finished either. </div>
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The evening of July 15th he had an "episode", which caused lots of coughing and required him to have more oxygen. More than the two concentrators could give. The hospice nurse came to evaluate him. She was concerned and was very candid when we walked her out. She said she wasn't always comfortable with giving time frames but she was pretty sure that we were looking at just a couple of weeks left with him. </div>
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The next morning, the morning of his 69th birthday, he was gone.<br />
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And that is where I stopped. I have come back to that sentence over and over for the last nine months and I just could not think of what to say after that. What do you say? And why? I thought again and again, "what is my motivation for finishing this blog post"?<br />
I still haven't completely figured that out. I just know that writing about it felt right at the time, and there is something theraputic about coming back to complete it.<br />
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These next couple of months are going to be hard ones. They are going to be full of sentences that start " it's been a year since..." and all those sentences are going to end with something sad. I am dreading all of those sentences, whether they are spoken or just stay with me as thoughts.<br />
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There isn't a day, or a half a day for that matter, that I am not thinking about him. It could be his picture, a song he liked, a saying he was famous for, a joke that he would think is hilarious, or a moment that he's missing because he isn't here, whatever it is, it takes me a second to regroup my thoughts.<br />
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I am grateful that I have this outlet for myself to share my thoughts. I am thankful for the family and friends who will read them and know that this was something that I needed to finish.</div>
Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-33543379928133686582016-05-31T14:39:00.000-05:002016-08-17T14:03:05.779-05:00Summer, Shopping, and Savings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLc_7ZszVe35KSq03JR81EXiBztoQEHfnvkbJaW9qe-bSML3mUTQh0gNd0NMAoqb2KTbRHgWqZSCbrnnIg5NseBoOwHUaT27MsZVI2lhhDCwu1aKzX0RX6A7OVsdCDDPqizBqUxPTzZE/s320/blogger-image--829751813.jpg" width="320" /></a><span id="goog_1417584777"></span><span id="goog_1417584778"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Here we are in the beginning stages of summer. This means a multitude of things.</div><div style="text-align: left;">People around here will stay up later, Then they will sleep all day. And when they finally do awake. they are going to be HUNGRY. AS. BEARS.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I kid you not, I am probably breaking some sort of commercially licensed restaurant code buy doing so much cooking. (which I hate to do). One of them pops out of bed, I'll make a couple of eggs, clean that up. And then wait. Because there will be another one in about an hour- except this one will want some of the left over chicken with peppers in a tortilla. And then last but not least comes the biggest bear monster of all - the girl bear. She makes me happy because she can cook whatever she likes- its the crime scene she leaves behind when she is done that bothers me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I joke about it, but it is important to me that they all have meals- at least 3 of them. Because when they wake up and come down in snack mode, they stay in snack mode ALL DAY! And there are lots of reasons why that is bad for them- just shoving a snack in their hole because they are "Bungry" (That's Bored+Hungry) starts to add up- on their bodies- and in the<u> meal budget</u>,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For a family of 5 which includes mom, dad, teenage girl with a hollow leg and lightening fast metabolisom, teenage boy who loves mom's cooking, and a teenage boy who would snack his way right into adulthood, we spend on average about $250 a week on groceries.</div><div style="text-align: left;">(And remember, I don't do the willy nilly walking in and throw stuff in the cart- I have a whole plan for all the meals for at least an entire week! Thanks to MealBoard - read more about them here,)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">SO when I can find something to save me a little money every week, I jump on it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I used to use the coupons that came in the Sunday paper, But all it turned into were ads for OTC medications for me to try and obscure brands of things that we don't eat. And</div><div style="text-align: left;">I definitely didnt want to become like a few aunts who will make a special trip to the store because she has 3 Oil of Olay coupons that are going to expire TOMORROW, so she has to buy them. (She then takes them home and sets them next to the 14 other jars that she did the same thing with a couple of months ago)!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I do use Coupons.Com occassiaonlly- I am able to pick and choose the ones that I know I will use instead of printing off a ton that will make it straight to the trash.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But the one thing that I was turned on to by several friends was Ibotta.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Holy Buckets what a saver there. Initally, I was turned off because I didn't understand how it worked. I thought I was going to have to be in the store and have the app out and involve the cashiers and there would be lots of buttons to push and I wouldn't be able to keep up with all of it! WHEW!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJFvwm9CTG6U0eMeqwnoRSwgfkG5AHbb2T9YOjoRBYjxzWd7jjvCfM2tHR0hQHH04roNOvHfe4SDc9Ka_EeECvjCdihnZiGX7oqAAxj9SpIIrsgjkpugKK_1Nc6hlKatu3hScTS6dq3g/s200/blogger-image--1911367377.jpg" width="200" /></a><span id="goog_1417584769"></span><span id="goog_1417584770"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Turns out it's NOT like that AT ALL.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I look through the food items on Ibotta while I am making my list- sometimes I add a certain meal to my meal plan because there is such a great deal on the meat! I click on the things that are on my list this week to "unlock" them. Sometimes I have to answer a question like "Do you like chocolate or vanilla bettter?" or "Watch this short 15 sec video to unlock your item"- easy peasy. Now I have a list of things that I <u>know</u> I am going to save money on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes it isn't even a particular brand! Sometimes you just buy ANY BRAND of milk, eggs, ice cream, oranges.....and save!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKB42rAEsVuQ2JPBde8JJtx9vkBk83wiVk3BzDqu_jInL2BIiSYP5RkH0c3h-5pllU8EwMaHAjn-XchwWTesbgp8yUDwOKEXC-ooQMQJDl7W1itT7QJvsHYPSSXV9CFa-as2JFlffw-Mg/s320/blogger-image--193011510.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Once I have gone shopping, I come home, click Verify Purchases and I can either click on the pics of what I bought or scan the UPC. Then with Step 2, I take a pic of my receipt and within 24 hours (more like 15 minutes) they send me an alert that says it has been verified and that savings has gone into my account.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84f2QKp3gRjYp6Z6olDiMJ1TZNVNnmp4b_wXipTyVLk7UdM1ebUd44oqYLuu-NOGuguWACBYxlE0vjBO5HzrtxdZxE26-HJw8O3qMLk2lRDFJTpL2B2nKbLUDaTf4uhmsAwirXGdbxP4/s320/blogger-image--1296886818.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have been using Ibotta for about 6 weeks and and look at what we have earned!!!! Just buying groceries (and adult frothy beverages).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To get that money into my hands to spend it - I can choose for my money to be transferred to:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PAYPAL</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">VENMO</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A digital shopping card:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wal-Mart Card</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amazon Card</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Startbucks Card</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Regal Card</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Best Buy Card</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and there are a couple of others.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYktIRlk_pE5eqQyYuo_QfpQZY-yXPD5GJxVv-HNQvULs3IkUgdlmTD_eqQop6wXEVUEhc4ojMRDCYRM9-30djHqdLp0Su7qRoLwx5aX7Rja11yWQ3ndnbrTovE9W8nPh_F95PMeiH_uY/s320/blogger-image-64397625.jpg" width="320" /></a><span id="goog_1417584746"></span><span id="goog_1417584747"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is so easy to use and so easy to save money! We are both logged into the same one, so if he is out and is going to buy some adult beverages and snacks, he'll take a peek and the savings pop right up!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another cool part of Ibotta is the TEAMWORK. No, we don't have to shop or plan together, but for instance, I sent my link to my sister, two neighbors, and a guy at his work. Everyone uses it at their own pace. But Ibotta offers Bonuses and incentives for us to save. So our collective savings (we can't see what each other purchased, only totals) add up and as a team we have all reached a bonus $5 level this month- we all just got $5 added to our own separate accounts!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How cool is that?!?!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I share my link with you- you get $10 right off the bat and I get $5! And I can add you to my team= the bigger our team, the more bonuses we get!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">EXTRA BONUS- you get your own separate link that you have people use to sign up with! - so you can be a part of two teams!!! That's double bonuses!!!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is definitely a win win for sure.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is so increcibly easy to use!! Just use THIS LINK.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx">TEAM UP WITH SQUIRRELS</a></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx">https://ibotta.com/r/ehegnyx</a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That link puts you on my team!! Yeah- we can be teammates! Don't worry, you'll get your own referral link too that you can send to friends and family.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And play around with it, check out the different groceries, retail, stores, restaurants, and even gas stations that you can use Ibotta to get cash rebates back quickly that you can spend!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The one key thing that you have to remember is that you have to have "unlocked" the item BEFORE you purchase it. And with the power of digital time stamps, they know!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope you'll check it out - I mean who doesn't love to save money?!?! And after you are signed up, be sure to send your link out!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Summer. Happy Shopping. Happy Savings!</div><!-- BEGIN AddToAny for Blogger --><br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-80293643182889536632016-03-01T19:01:00.000-06:002016-03-01T19:31:55.436-06:00Whose Water Is This?!?!<div style="text-align: left;">
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Our "after dinner" routine has become quite a habit around here. We get situated with food and dishes, and we get through the chores that help keep things together. These are simple tasks like sweeping floors, wiping toilets, dusting. Nothing that is really out of the ordinary for any family.</div>
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I do, however, have one job that some of you may not have. I have the distinct pleasure of walking all throughout the house yelling out "Whose water is this?!?" It is normally answered with "Where was it?" And then we get to go through the list of possible places where I may have found it. After I rattle through those, they will come in and either claim it or argue that "No, mine had more than that in it." or "I think mine wasn't that full."</div>
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Maybe I shouldn't complain because at least they are drinking water- but the never ending game of "who-had-their-nasty-mouth-on-this" drives me batty!</div>
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So, this week, we put an end to it!</div>
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Tadaa!</div>
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No more guessing!</div>
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Naturally, I chose the gold star because it was my idea. I let them choose from the other four- surprisingly they all agreed. </div>
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So now it's very simple- grab a water, get your sticker from the fridge, put it on the cap, and then we all know who to yell at when we find it on a counter or shelf!</div>
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So far so good-</div>
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Be on the lookout for more posts that will surely involve my house covered in colorful star stickers!</div>
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Have a great week!</div>
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<!-- END AddToAny for Blogger -->Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-58342802269880642162016-02-16T23:21:00.000-06:002016-03-01T19:47:35.951-06:00What's the Magic Word?<div style="text-align: left;">There are a handful of things in this world that make me blush and give me legit butterflies.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have to give props to my main man for being the source of most of them. As I sit here now, I can hear the song that was on the radio as he nervously leaned over and kissed me for the first time. Swoon. I can feel a little tremble every time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There's a very tiny list of thoughts that can evoke a similar feeling.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Leonardo DiCaprio</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tom Hardy</div><div style="text-align: left;">Beards.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Leo with a beard.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Tom with a beard...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">...so that pretty much sums up the list.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Nope wait- there's one more thing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There's one more thing that can make me feel a little lightheaded. It makes me giddy. I even feel slightly light on my feet. It's actually two words. Two magic words...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVFVmAJco059lW38clNbPUMEVX_2R2ZXo9rmCSjI7tSWKSVQvgTX3lYOSGHTpcWEteWkcPZ2fW1eg1aRFkkSc2IFh9UyGz7DWmGdbsaipavZNf9Uy_3cSuhbyM-owtVIrT8Zi6KGpTYE/s1600/FotorCreated47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVFVmAJco059lW38clNbPUMEVX_2R2ZXo9rmCSjI7tSWKSVQvgTX3lYOSGHTpcWEteWkcPZ2fW1eg1aRFkkSc2IFh9UyGz7DWmGdbsaipavZNf9Uy_3cSuhbyM-owtVIrT8Zi6KGpTYE/s320/FotorCreated47.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">LEFTOVER NIGHT!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm serious, ya'll! When I am putting all that work into making the list/menu each week (with or without anyone's help) I am sure to write in one night that's nothing but leftovers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXGzBzG9Fq57INIaELErb2qnSShSnE2ZGssH_KYY1HaC8F3sM90ZLeE1wMjKS-0ol601XdIt9IVldEb0WqDNWxqz5xVUVBVSgcEwAzX6xFWN0FYpmt2Estc8sk0zCAxXWtaAxh2g60fY/s1600/FotorCreated46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXGzBzG9Fq57INIaELErb2qnSShSnE2ZGssH_KYY1HaC8F3sM90ZLeE1wMjKS-0ol601XdIt9IVldEb0WqDNWxqz5xVUVBVSgcEwAzX6xFWN0FYpmt2Estc8sk0zCAxXWtaAxh2g60fY/s320/FotorCreated46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">I work hard standing in that kitchen all week, sweating away, breaking my back in the oven, straining my muscles as I stir and knead....ok, it's not that bad- but it is still a lot of work.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So each week, I reward myself. This night is celebrated! I should consider getting a small red carpet that leads from the fridge to the microwave. Maybe I'll even have them take a few paparazzi style shots as I gently tilt the lid for venting while it cooks (These are all genuine possibilities, folks.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">OK, ok, so maybe there shouldn't be that much fanfare, but, man, it's a special night in my mind! The preparation is easy. The cleaning is simple. And probably the most important part to me (all joking aside) is that we are not wasting food.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Wasting food was a BIG no-no for me in our house growing up. When my mom made something for dinner, it was beautiful. We spent quite a bit of time remarking on how pretty the spread was. And then a few days later, part of that meal would make a cameo appearance in a new meal. Then maybe, just maybe, there was just enough left that it could morph into some type of casserole. (If the woman had cream of anything and ritz crackers, then by golly, we could have a casserole). And the invention of the freezer bag made it even worse! Now she could freeze something we didn't finish and SURPRISE!! a couple weeks later there it was again....damn those bags.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now these same Empty Nesters, will cook a meal and let the remainder spoil in the fridge because "I already had that once this week.' or "It just isn't the same reheated".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Not in my house.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Actually, I want to share how we "manage" the leftovers. I know it may sound a little silly to say it that way, but it is something that you can't let get away from you. No one wants to take the lid off of the "fuzzy stuff" in the blue container. And no one wants to sniff the "mystery meat" to see if it has one more day in it. There's nothing more appetizing than hearing someone say. "Well, if you don't eat it, I'm just going to have to throw it away."</div><div style="text-align: left;">Really? Those are the options? My mouth or the landfill.....mmmmm...... #tasty</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We have a pretty good system- what the heck, I'm going to say that we have a GREAT system that keeps food moving IN and OUT of the fridge in a way that shouldn't scare anyone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When dinner is over. We use <u>two</u> types of storage containers. The main squeeze isn't here for dinner most nights, so we make a plate that is just like if he were at the table. It is divided into thirds and has a vent for steam on top. It's perfect. He takes that to work the next day. So he is usually a dinner behind us. But it's new to him.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anything that didn't go into the "Dad Plate" goes into container that is only divided twice. It is a flimsier container- but it is going straight to a plate- so no biggie there. In those containers, we are making <u>servings</u>. (That's the key). We put the meat on one side and the starch on the other. It is just enough to be a meal if someone were to choose it for leftover night. Some nights we get two containers made like that- which makes it easier on leftover night because now the boys don't have to fight. (Nothing like needing a bouncer at the microwave)!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I think one of the things I used to do wrong was put all the meatloaf in one container and all the mashed potatoes in a different container. Then things get pushed around back there in the fridge and the two foods never end up pairing up again. But not this way. This way there are <u>meals</u>. And all they have to do is put the whole container in the microwave.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Since these are all in the same type containers, they are <u>easy</u> to stack in the fridge. Sometimes the stack gets higher faster than I had anticipated it would. When this happens, I have to institute an Emergency Leftover Night. Only I have the power to make that call. It's good to be in charge (sometimes).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I will show which ones we use to make this so easy.</div><div style="text-align: left;">These are the "Dad Plates". They work perfectly for his lunch box. The vent makes it easy to heat up his dinner. We picked these up at Wal-Mart, but they are everywhere. (These are very durable).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUWMuXfT0zHmG4Sda-FONsng0S_XIaNYTN1xUC_eZCkoTYp7wYcgGDpYdtu4nbNgmcDsXOfDI3h38ZdEjyN6S4ldBMMkWYMV_4LV3Qx5y3hyRjw9YSvgEvBwEDPulDXavXofr-pGp5iE/s1600/0085577909607_500X500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUWMuXfT0zHmG4Sda-FONsng0S_XIaNYTN1xUC_eZCkoTYp7wYcgGDpYdtu4nbNgmcDsXOfDI3h38ZdEjyN6S4ldBMMkWYMV_4LV3Qx5y3hyRjw9YSvgEvBwEDPulDXavXofr-pGp5iE/s200/0085577909607_500X500.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">These are also from Wal-Mart. They only have two compartments. They are perfect for a meat and side. They are sturdy enough for the dishwasher, but also cheap enough that if anything does get lost back there in the depths of the fridge it won't break the budget to toss them out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRoai6WzkNTGe5ChorszgaWOClu2rum4-2GrcCMsl0lCxVRydfrO-lDnkDkxhP344lKQ5qV1A_rvt-3P_Nvug679UV3hhXeXOTjJUonwENLzQXUK2n2flcrITT54dMPTnrpsUZUtCfsw/s1600/k2-_2d663750-1ac9-40e5-993f-bf557214cd2b.v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRoai6WzkNTGe5ChorszgaWOClu2rum4-2GrcCMsl0lCxVRydfrO-lDnkDkxhP344lKQ5qV1A_rvt-3P_Nvug679UV3hhXeXOTjJUonwENLzQXUK2n2flcrITT54dMPTnrpsUZUtCfsw/s200/k2-_2d663750-1ac9-40e5-993f-bf557214cd2b.v1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Having the distinct containers makes it easy on everyone. They know that anything in this container is "fair game" and Lord Grantham knows which one to put in his lunchbox in case I'm not here to pack it up for him. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Believe it or not, I really don't have an issue with them when it is a leftover night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 1) For the most part, they eat what I cook. They have a say in the menu, so often times it's something they initially picked anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) They like having the choices.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I definitely don't have issues with it because:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) I didn't have to cook anything new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) I didn't have to cook anything new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3)I didn't have to cook anything new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a win-win!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Seriously though, for us it's something that really works. Maybe you can use part of it to smooth out your week and even get a night off from cooking! Our system keeps us on track and keeps us from <u>wasting a ton of food</u> each week. It's also keeping me from breaking out the "cream of something and the ritz crackers"! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy your week.</div><!-- BEGIN AddToAny for Blogger --><br />
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<!-- END AddToAny for Blogger -->Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-69082537274726744952016-02-13T21:12:00.000-06:002016-02-17T17:44:11.679-06:00The Dreaded List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It seems like the more you love something, the more time you give it. For instance, my boys love video games, so they devote a lot time and (all) their money to it. Chickadee loves to read, so she takes time to read everyday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With this being the pattern, you would think that I MUST LOVE meal planning, shopping, and cooking, right? I mean that only makes sense. Because I spend so much TIME doing it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wrong.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We all know how I feel about it. And I KNOW that I am NOT alone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just because we do it, doesn't mean we like it. I don't gripe about it so verbally with the kiddos around; I don't want them to automatically feel the same way. They can grow up and hate it on their own. LOL! Just kidding.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since there is NO getting around it, and they insist on eating everyday, I have done my best to try and minimize the workload on my end. Here are a list of things that have helped:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) I ask for their input. IF I can get at least 2 out 4 to give me a suggestion about what they would like to eat for dinner, then there's 2 less thoughts that this exhausted brain has to come up with on its own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) I have them write things on the dry erase on the fridge as they run out of it or decide they need it so that it is there when I am making the list for the store. This means that I don't have to read their minds, like they apparently think that I can.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3) I take one of them with me to the store. Yep, I am not doing that by myself. I usually take one of the boys. Littlest Little is actually the best shopper. He is a no non-sense guy like me. We get in and we get out. Chickadee ups my grocery bill by about $20 every time because she throws stuff into the cart when I'm not looking and then distracts me when we are at the checkout- I am aware of her evil plan, and yet she gets me. Every. Time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4) Once it's all purchased, they (usually the boys) help me decide what night we will have which meal- that way we can put it into MEAL BOARD and on calendar. We take into account who has to stay after for what on which day and how long that certain meal takes to prepare and who all will be home to be at the table that night. Whew- there's a lot to consider!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5) And of course, we all play a part in the cleaning up. Mine is small. I took a stand on my 40th and made sure that everyone was either proficient or above average when it came to the kitchen chores!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So even though I do have quite a bit to do when it comes to preparing for the coming week's meals, there is help. There are the occasional moans and groans and resistance to the plan- but then I snap out of it and realize that it could be worse, I could be totally on my own when it comes to all this work. Therefore I am thankful for the pitching in that they do!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Tonight, I want to share with you how I get my list together for the store. I NEVER enter the store without a list. That is shopping suicide. It must be a thorough and complete list with all the meals' ingredients, lunches, toiletries, cleaning products, etc. 'Cause I am only going to the store once a week. That is it. No more. No less.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">After the meals that are going to be prepared for the week are chosen, I have to get the ingredients listed. The list that I use helps me to do both. I made a simple template for my grocery list on a spreadsheet. Take a look.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiwt8oHe3CFGBpQHzNDBF7jcDShAduPNn1IinyV4AHMdBh0hBjMd35Bs_3rREf7yTthAu8b3lYqGm9Dy7TfZy0n6SGqIN_-2wolLS6G0B6tTJQM3GfG9fRpBAV2vW4_sB_sJ6R8UFPd4/s1600/Screenshot+%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiwt8oHe3CFGBpQHzNDBF7jcDShAduPNn1IinyV4AHMdBh0hBjMd35Bs_3rREf7yTthAu8b3lYqGm9Dy7TfZy0n6SGqIN_-2wolLS6G0B6tTJQM3GfG9fRpBAV2vW4_sB_sJ6R8UFPd4/s640/Screenshot+%25284%2529.png" width="586"></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See where it says "Ideas"? I use this column to help when we are picking meals. If someone calls a pasta dish, I write it there and then no one else can pick another pasta dish. The same goes for soups. One heavy soup a week is enough. And so on for sandwiches- we consider those to be anything that has buns or rolls, burgers, BBQ chic, dagwoods, etc. And I usually like to only have one meal a week that is chicken (prepared a million ways), a starch, and a vege. The "Ideas" section is categorized the same way as my MealBoard, but there wasn't enough room to add all the categories to the list so there are blank spaces for adding in others.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After we have at least 6 meals in the Ideas, we move them over to "Meals" and add sides. Then I can start filling in the rest of the list. Going one meal at time, placing each ingredient in its spot. (I print the template, and write in the items).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Things that we get every week are already printed on the list. And the list kind of follows the steps we take in the store. Like a map. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My written list always looked like this- little untitled columns that only I understood why they were where they were on the paper! So I decided to make it a little neater and easy for anyone to read. Not that anyone else is going to go do the shopping, but a girl can dream!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you haven't read the Hallelujah praise that I have for MealBoard, check that out <a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/2015/10/blog-post.html"><span style="color: red;"><b>here</b></span></a>. I am still loving all the simplicity it has brought to my life! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigy6_pj2J7zssCfLJvs1-9UWsksKPyUfYPXSoCsdnibKFLnWApI6k2hvn-uet0A8KbawlBnfS4F1Ew9oH-JsUt3Aw2RsWGMWr6zL8QL3l_roBxV6WvSzR4WNglLXdz2AH5Yj2bLmjwaYI/s1600/blogger-image-818045156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigy6_pj2J7zssCfLJvs1-9UWsksKPyUfYPXSoCsdnibKFLnWApI6k2hvn-uet0A8KbawlBnfS4F1Ew9oH-JsUt3Aw2RsWGMWr6zL8QL3l_roBxV6WvSzR4WNglLXdz2AH5Yj2bLmjwaYI/s320/blogger-image-818045156.jpg" width="220"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've added a link my List here so that you can grab it, <u>make a copy</u>, and edit it to fit your needs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Grab it <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mAjApSmsVpKSUTTofR2ztFq1_rgueqQE9g4jHGjyLf4/edit?usp=sharing">here</a> .</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Would love to hear in the comments if you found this helpful! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have a great week!</div><!-- BEGIN AddToAny for Blogger --><br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-11408470777722648452016-01-31T13:19:00.001-06:002016-02-17T17:44:37.737-06:00Morning Time Saver for Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">So here we are almost a full month into 2016 and I am just now getting around to posting this. I started this post over Christmas break because I thought it would be nice to share with some of you busy moms and dads before school started back. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It didn't work out that way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's still a very helpful idea for us though, so I still want to share.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I left my position in 2014 and began subbing, I found myself in the middle and high schools during lunch. Which I was never there before. Have you been? HOLY Lunch Madness!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It isn't always what's on the tray that is so surprising, but all the hoops and lines and ropes and procedures they have to go through to get it. I used to hear horror stories from Chickadee, but she's a drama queen, so I just assumed it could only be about 1/4 as bad as she was claiming it to be. (Sorry, Chickadee)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids only get 30 minutes for lunch. They have to walk to the cafe. Stand in line to get the food. Stand in line to pay for the food. And then find a seat. They now have 15 minutes to scarf down whatever was left by the time they got to the line. Oh, wait, did I say 15 minutes? I meant 12 because they still have to stand in line to throw it away. Stop at the bathroom. And make it back to class on time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The boys decided that was all too much! And I agreed! So we started packing. (I started packing). It wasn't so bad at first, but then we found that while I was buying the things they wanted to put in their lunchboxes, the little weasels were eating it before it had a chance to make it to lunch. So inevitably, every Wednesday night, I was running to Walgreens to get drinks or chips or "something sweet". Argh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I put a stop to that about a month in by putting three baskets in the pantry with their names on them- and after grocery shopping, I putting 5 of everything in each basket. (And yes, I was guilt-packing lunch for Chickadee for her last semester of high school- and actually, I still am in her second semester of college) . This was working out very well for us- we were guaranteed to have everything we needed for lunches for the whole week! Most nights, I could even convince them to pack the unrefrigerated things into their lunch boxes and put them on the counter, so that all I needed to do was add the sandwich and fruit in the morning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is still working out great for us- with one little change. The baskets were taking up a little more room than what we have in our pantry. And with them getting jostled around, cookies and chips were getting crushed. And when you are having a crap day in middle school, the last thing you want to happen is to sit down at the lunch table and find that you have chip crumbs and cookie dust.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To alleviate that problem, I added a 3 drawer sterilite container to the bottom of the pantry. One drawer per Little. It works out so much better because nothing can get stuck on top of and crush the food that is in each drawer. And the drawers are much larger than the baskets were. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we go shopping on the weekend (which don't be fooled, I still hate the shopping part), each one of the not-so-littles will open boxes and add 5 of everything to his/her drawer. If there's anything left in the boxes, those go up on the shelves with the regular snacks. The best part is they ALL know that those drawers are off limits during the week for snacking! They also know that I will NOT go back to the store during the week to buy things that are supposed to be in lunches. (This ensures that they stay out)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The drawers turned out to be a space saver and a time saver. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hopefully this is something that can make your mornings a little easier with your littles!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have a great week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-3768364851595501222015-10-25T10:29:00.000-05:002016-02-17T17:46:36.513-06:00Meal Planning Made EASY<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Those of you who only know me from following, know that there are a handful of things that I cannot stand! (Those who really know me, know that there are possibly two handfuls). </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Either way- one of them is cooking and the one right behind that is meal planning. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">I cringe when I look at the board and there are only two planned meals left. That means I have to start pestering everyone, trying to hit them up for ideas. Preparing myself for the moaning, bitching, and complaining that comes with telling everyone what the plan is. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">"Ew, only she likes that!"</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">"Aw, man! Didn't we have that like a week ago?"</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">"Why don't we ever have what I like?"</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">To answer those- </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a lie. Everyone eats it. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">All of our weeks run together, so yes, you've had this before. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">And finally, because we can't have skittles and Mountain Dew for dinner. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Every week. Without fail. I plan. I shop. I cook. I reheat. I cook again. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Every week. When they wake up, they ask "what's for dinner?" When they get off the bus, "what's for dinner?" WHILE we are AT the dinner table, "What's for dinner TOMORROW?" Aghhhhh!!!</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a never ending cycle!! </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">But I think I have found some help. Some beautiful-bathed-in-the lights-of-heaven, angels-singing-on-high-kind-of-help! </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">(And you may already know about this. I could be late to the party- probably because I was in the freakin kitchen! But I'm going to tell you about it anyway! </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's an app called MealBoard. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's not free. It actually cost $3.99. I normally don't buy apps without having heard someone gush over them- but I was desperate and the description looked promising. So I splurged. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have talked to everyone in the house about it! They are sick of hearing it. I don't care, I'm the oldest- they have to listen to what I say. Boom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There's just so much goodness in here!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started writing what we had for dinner on our calendar back in mid September. Just so we could try and stay out of the "dinner rut". I am so glad that I did!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because you can go backward on this app and add what you cooked on any day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can even choose breakfast, lunch dinner- side, appetizer, dessert. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTTOSMz885OawVjlGzamtqRGPpF953rzIf1TWCx-wJ_h7FAYxv3cI_VvJjxxHUaBh_Dx_ZWXUFAfB4gZ82OjmnkEu_tWbXtnnoSQbbugkQr6VwqMIIHm4y_3u1dgeH2BAeb4xkZYVT28/s640/blogger-image--1691130738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTTOSMz885OawVjlGzamtqRGPpF953rzIf1TWCx-wJ_h7FAYxv3cI_VvJjxxHUaBh_Dx_ZWXUFAfB4gZ82OjmnkEu_tWbXtnnoSQbbugkQr6VwqMIIHm4y_3u1dgeH2BAeb4xkZYVT28/s640/blogger-image--1691130738.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My main concern is dinner- the main dish and sides. I just click the calendar, select when I want to start adding in recipes. And then click the + next to the day to start adding. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmls8PIqOZfe7h6oCiz79hozNIti-QGhhv0GKkLhg1HVGjvKK-dqCtEssljK3Mn_sD0ViRzdioccTKZxrLHyqXmCLCq42_sJBaWtpX_mCgMh2QZi3lP621Pph64QHMv04zn4-BrATealo/s640/blogger-image-1592959204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmls8PIqOZfe7h6oCiz79hozNIti-QGhhv0GKkLhg1HVGjvKK-dqCtEssljK3Mn_sD0ViRzdioccTKZxrLHyqXmCLCq42_sJBaWtpX_mCgMh2QZi3lP621Pph64QHMv04zn4-BrATealo/s640/blogger-image-1592959204.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpqeL0_-lxRKa55wVj0o0vqttfDpX93LjkbxUThB5hgOW8lWWkb3jn4aIwoG_-OiCsNgAQ0rhXmoXN1qMuUx8Lk7cYgQhNXn25VyLyPzgWF5VEt52HGmhj4J-1frZzb_xY3ttGwkvpl0/s640/blogger-image-2051606473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpqeL0_-lxRKa55wVj0o0vqttfDpX93LjkbxUThB5hgOW8lWWkb3jn4aIwoG_-OiCsNgAQ0rhXmoXN1qMuUx8Lk7cYgQhNXn25VyLyPzgWF5VEt52HGmhj4J-1frZzb_xY3ttGwkvpl0/s640/blogger-image-2051606473.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Everything I add in is saved! And then I can go back and add "categories", like tags. So when I am thinking of what to make later on I can just search for an ingredient (like chicken, beef, sausage...) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">AND LOOK! It tells me the last time I cooked it!! So no one can say "we had that last week!" (Except for the Italian Sausage Sandwich because we totally had that last week). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRt63N3iGiTGJ-ucpEIFxW7HQKKHM2rjz_Xj78qZJOY_c6FvtglCAog2f_6dwTWnKXSNEVUyGwN3sMzFpSj2vcph9_VXO8d5OjYFZZXmVJpq9mi5ltxl2JolgVOQyp83hNnwGMT039wfc/s640/blogger-image--723840311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRt63N3iGiTGJ-ucpEIFxW7HQKKHM2rjz_Xj78qZJOY_c6FvtglCAog2f_6dwTWnKXSNEVUyGwN3sMzFpSj2vcph9_VXO8d5OjYFZZXmVJpq9mi5ltxl2JolgVOQyp83hNnwGMT039wfc/s640/blogger-image--723840311.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Since I have so many meals in there, I can scroll through them and click and choose if I want to add it to this week's plan. Super simple. But wait....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Y'all, there's more. Now that I have 6 weeks of meals in here, I can go to anyone of these weeks and then choose "Save Meal Plan as Template" and it will place that WHOLE week for the coming one!! That's the whole week planned! All I have to do is make a list for the items I need - I don't have to ask anyone for anything!! (Can you hear the hallelujahs)? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll probably wait for a month or so before I start copying whole weeks- but you can bet I will!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYV0ubdQJ1v4lqK79CDQ8gBWRai1t5lyrdmcCYxMhyphenhyphenswidEcr5tpUPIxo2vOFQvE6sofHQL2KSYseEslTo6d4GfFi08GmCwOyUDMw80iaAwVtJi3WidgRwVIXjvRlsX6iWZvAips9NgSI/s640/blogger-image-1075268037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYV0ubdQJ1v4lqK79CDQ8gBWRai1t5lyrdmcCYxMhyphenhyphenswidEcr5tpUPIxo2vOFQvE6sofHQL2KSYseEslTo6d4GfFi08GmCwOyUDMw80iaAwVtJi3WidgRwVIXjvRlsX6iWZvAips9NgSI/s640/blogger-image-1075268037.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can even export it to an iCal that we share !</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzEPFOzOZW46QN_isEEDZCU-n2_gXzmfnR_E9lgo93R72WpzomK6LD9yWWKodc1V7EV8bb3mIvzaCm6LFPZ6XNbAOjyUCNg3LOhpQdoYthI2NQuU-mmyApmZsrJmuE3LZ-FdoTp4c634/s640/blogger-image--1654795056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzEPFOzOZW46QN_isEEDZCU-n2_gXzmfnR_E9lgo93R72WpzomK6LD9yWWKodc1V7EV8bb3mIvzaCm6LFPZ6XNbAOjyUCNg3LOhpQdoYthI2NQuU-mmyApmZsrJmuE3LZ-FdoTp4c634/s640/blogger-image--1654795056.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I just had to set my phone down for a second and catch my breath.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can also import recipes! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You'll have to get in there and play around - it took me a day to get 6 weeks of previous meals from the wall calendar into the app and get them categorized so they are easy to access. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A day well spent I am sure!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I seriously doubt I will use the shopping feature. And I can't see me running an inventory of my pantry. But this meal planning super hero app designer has just made this gal one happy squirrel!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then my brain started spinning - what if I had a friend or two who was using the app? We could email back and forth a few weeks so that we can add something new to the mix! {another hallelujah !!}</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you end up giving it a try and love it - let me know! Maybe we can share a couple of weeks with each other- unless you have skittles and Mountain Dew for dinner, cause I already kinda vetoed that one! :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><!-- BEGIN AddToAny for Blogger --><br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-25015743119626034222015-09-02T15:30:00.003-05:002015-09-02T16:00:15.962-05:00The Shared 15 Just Got Easier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyC0hCsEqFkB0LvNlZENcS0fVCSQkVPHdSEbhfOXFzLkbdE8E-T2Zl0YY0swHMvSUZ_z1baBTQwbKGbbtePVFDdH0-6bg5YSnXVmgfaJPL0fz8Qw97B16O1flFbSr9BWFDGwuVBESqe0/s640/blogger-image--736732129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyC0hCsEqFkB0LvNlZENcS0fVCSQkVPHdSEbhfOXFzLkbdE8E-T2Zl0YY0swHMvSUZ_z1baBTQwbKGbbtePVFDdH0-6bg5YSnXVmgfaJPL0fz8Qw97B16O1flFbSr9BWFDGwuVBESqe0/s640/blogger-image--736732129.jpg" /></a></div>
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Days come and go and I often say to myself, "Self, this is a great idea! You should share it!" And then I either get too busy, too lazy, or forget all together.</div>
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This great idea to change our Shared 15 happened almost three months ago- maybe longer - and I wanted to share it. I did on Periscope. (thank goodness those disappear in 24 hours!! I shudder to think that it would last forever).</div>
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Rather than just copy and paste an old post about The Shared 15 and tack on the change/update, I'm going to explain it a little more clearly. This post is about the actual 15 and how to set it up- not the QR REWARDS- (that is linked <a href="http://www.misssquirrels.com/2015/01/im-super-excited-can-you-tell.html">here</a>)</div>
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However I will paste this in- just in case it's the first time you've ever heard me talk about The Shared 15:</div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>(FROM JAN 4, 2015) </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>Now, What is the "Shared 15"? That is something we started a couple of years ago- and it WORKED. For a long time. And then life got crazy and shifts changed and it stopped being enforced.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>So it is BACK!</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>IMMEDIATELY following dinner (before the dishes are done) everyone has to devote a SOLID 15 minutes to a SHARED LIVING SPACE. The living room, bathroom, dining room, hall, stairs. Anywhere that we all SHARE. This keeps everything so tidy and makes it really nice when the kitchen is finished and we can all relax. To make it a little easier to remember and to be fair (so no one gets stuck with the toilet all the time, there is a rotation ). Everyone gives 15 minutes a day- and there are 5 of us- so that's 75 minutes of work EVERYDAY. That's - hold on let me get my calculator- 525 mins a week - which is the same as almost 9 hours of cleaning a week!!! AMAZING!</i></span></div>
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Doesn't that sound good?</div>
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Now, for setting up the chart of jobs and how you will assign them. What type of job you add is obviously going to depend on the age of the children involved. Mine ranged from 10-17 when we started this. Because of the way it rotates, you have to keep in mind that the job the 17 year old did, will also have to be done by the 10 year old in a couple of days. So you'll have to find a happy medium. </div>
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Jobs/ tasks that make it tidier around here are things like :</div>
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Sweeping</div>
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Clearing out personal things from shared living space(We call that Stuff Patrol)</div>
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Dusting</div>
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Wiping down the toilets </div>
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Wiping down the vanity/ taking out the bathroom trash</div>
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Sweeping the deck</div>
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Cleaning the dog area </div>
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You get the idea- things that are out in the open where we all spend time together. </div>
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I made a simple table with days of the week for columns and a row for how many jobs a day will get done. . </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1Lyt20sIR-7Yzb7jY-Bo0zcE55SoDon5bbiQ9b68ERtqjbWiKFsUgjcoM8ogQDMClOWAygPZQNDcsw2ZJEv_5ZJXOoeBJ84GHZyH_4GRApM-Gd-6o_SKraTQdiK7HhaxVOwxQOm5uek/s640/blogger-image-278422222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1Lyt20sIR-7Yzb7jY-Bo0zcE55SoDon5bbiQ9b68ERtqjbWiKFsUgjcoM8ogQDMClOWAygPZQNDcsw2ZJEv_5ZJXOoeBJ84GHZyH_4GRApM-Gd-6o_SKraTQdiK7HhaxVOwxQOm5uek/s640/blogger-image-278422222.jpg" /></a> </div>
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After we figured out what needed to be done daily and what could be done just once or twice a week, I filled in our chart. I also wrote a small description about expectations for each job.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2vBFEcg06S9cUK4c-J8DeFaZLbuW_YDwNAdmEtF4DjPUQ0rvnQS6JbdJkTGvRR4by-sYSxMAcTCy_tVj2379JiKEpyF4IPiaeB8ALtlDgNICvSfbfo6eYB7WtUoTf5OtsXtxbDe-RKY/s640/blogger-image-964126176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2vBFEcg06S9cUK4c-J8DeFaZLbuW_YDwNAdmEtF4DjPUQ0rvnQS6JbdJkTGvRR4by-sYSxMAcTCy_tVj2379JiKEpyF4IPiaeB8ALtlDgNICvSfbfo6eYB7WtUoTf5OtsXtxbDe-RKY/s640/blogger-image-964126176.jpg" /></a></div>
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After I got our chart filled out I had to figure out how to decide who did what on which night. At first I was writing their initials and the number of the job on EVERY block in the calendar- that was pretty time consuming- worth it- but time consuming nonetheless. I got tired of writing it in at the beginning of the month- it was a pain and I would confuse myself sometimes!</div>
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So I started playing around with this spinner/slide idea. I thought if they could see the number on the spinner, all they had to do was find the number and the day of the week on the chart and match them up! Easy peasy! </div>
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Here's how I made mine:</div>
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You want to make 2 circles on card stock, one a little larger than the other, so that you can make a "spinner". I used two nesting bowls from the kitchen and a brad that was in the bottom of the junk drawer. #luckyfind</div>
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You will want to divide your smaller circle into as many parts as you have people participating. Two people= draw a line down the middle. Three people= divide into thirds (which is NOT easy). I had so many failed attempts at this, that at one point I thought it would just be easier to add another kid! NOT!</div>
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Now that your circle is divided, write your numbers in. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1HqgvhKLLbprZqRXWTQO5ffSAeC3NOkolri6kKZHujQ2KS0jFmOYtZDCQQFI552N3TZqaCcgTAxLXLaqyyx_TjNz0Bi7L6TU6tCEvxUEkd4sEr0TqSuujFJQ51_E98DvuwIxq01gXL0/s640/blogger-image-925293307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1HqgvhKLLbprZqRXWTQO5ffSAeC3NOkolri6kKZHujQ2KS0jFmOYtZDCQQFI552N3TZqaCcgTAxLXLaqyyx_TjNz0Bi7L6TU6tCEvxUEkd4sEr0TqSuujFJQ51_E98DvuwIxq01gXL0/s640/blogger-image-925293307.jpg" /></a></div>
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After you have it colored, put the larger circle underneath to guide you so that you can write the names of the those participating in The Shared 15. </div>
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We have three names, so I just wrote them towards the middle of each section of color (on the larger circle). Then attach them to each other with the brad.</div>
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This spinner stays above the calendar and job chart on the garage door.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn35QRWbJlloR0Si6S8JUiqRzyOmsiNXj3LgraKfkLohpnRbJfpuZus5H4YkMb8ZvO0OIPcWa865uslfaWgu-g7pIb25fMBcVnQynAdMqzmPbS1o9F8I0m8ob19Y8NuHTlwpJrq-UHVKE/s640/blogger-image--672911638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn35QRWbJlloR0Si6S8JUiqRzyOmsiNXj3LgraKfkLohpnRbJfpuZus5H4YkMb8ZvO0OIPcWa865uslfaWgu-g7pIb25fMBcVnQynAdMqzmPbS1o9F8I0m8ob19Y8NuHTlwpJrq-UHVKE/s640/blogger-image--672911638.jpg" /></a></div>
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Setting up the calendar:</div>
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I used these three colors to alternate coloring the dates on the calendar. So basically these colors show up every three days. See how fast I can do this part:</div>
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I decided to put her name on top since she is the oldest . Her name is also the marker for what the day is on the calendar. So really, whatever color the day is on the calendar is her job that day. For instance, the 8th this month is green - so I turn the spinner to green under her name.</div>
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That means she has job #3.</div>
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The 8th is a Tuesday this month. </div>
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So she takes a glance at the chart and looks for job #3 on a Tuesday- she has to wipe down the shower. </div>
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The boys will look to see which number falls by their name - which 1 and 2 is always the same for them. For our family, #3 is the only job that changes daily- so you only have to look at the chart if you have job #3. (You could choose to have every numbered job be the same everyday, but somethings didn't need to be done everyday.) And really it goes in order, if you have #1 today, you will have #2 the next- and so on.....</div>
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To recap- and this is the beauty of it-</div>
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<u>All I have to do is spin to make her color and the color on the calender match. Really, that's it.</u></div>
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After dinner on the 8th, their toilet will be cleaned, their shower will be wiped down, their bathroom will be swept, from the hall to the kitchen will be swept, and all things things that don't belong in our shared living space will go to it's respective rooms. Then they will head to their rooms to do any straightening they need done until the 15 is over. And I don't have to say anything except "Okay, let's knock out our 15".</div>
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When the 15 is done, we head into the kitchen to get it cleaned up (which usually I am almost done by the time they finish, so it goes pretty quick.) And then whatever else it is that we do for the evening, we get to do in a tidy shared living space! And that dreaded weekend cleaning isn't so bad because we keep it up throughout the week. And if a neighbor pops over, we don't have to pray that they don't have potty while they are over! LOL It truly is a lifesaver,</div>
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If I didn't sound like such a dork, I would make quick video- but seriously- it's super easy- list, color, spin, clean, repeat. </div>
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I know for a fact that one of the things we lack the most is time. In fact, I am willing to bet that while you were reading this you thought of 6 other things that you needed to be doing! (I know I did while I was writing it). I just really love how The Shared 15 makes everyone responsible for something everyday. We all live here- it all belongs to us, so let's take care of it!<br />
I really hope this is something that some of you can use and if you do- I would love to hear about it! And if you have any questions about it- feel free to comment or email!<br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-24174795181756115132015-05-25T21:10:00.001-05:002015-05-25T23:24:51.822-05:00Are Those Yours?<span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Those who know me, know that there are a couple of things that I just don't like to do. It is very unfortunate that these two things come together every weekend. Shopping and cooking. </span><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I missed out on those genes. I do not have them. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Don't get me wrong, I like "stuff" and I LOVE "food". But I loathe having to go out for the "stuff" or the food. I would have been a terrible cave woman. No hunting. No foraging. I would just have my raw meat delivered. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">But every week I ask for input, I make a menu, which turns into a list, and then that turns into a map that I take to the store. Not because I am super mom (but thank you). Not because I am a super chef. (They'll vouch for that). It's because I need to have a plan. I have to know what we are having because these henchmen we call children wake up asking "What's for dinner tonight?" Every morning. Without fail. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">There is no "winging it". No plan used to easily lend itself to "I'll run through a drive through. " And while we may not be the healthiest squirrels on the planet, we do steer away from fast food as much as we can. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I even keep a notebook so that i can reference what we have had in past weeks. This serves two purposes. It keeps us from having the same thing too close together while also giving us ideas from meals we've already had. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Often times I take one of the NSLs (Not So Littles) with me to man the cart while I dart in and out of the slow people. They also hold the list, pick up heavy stuff, load bags into the cart, and then into the van. They come in pretty handy. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Every once in awhile The Mr. goes with me. He also holds the list, picks up the heavy stuff, loads the bags into the cart, and then into the van. He also drives. And sometimes takes me for a coffee- so he's a pretty good choice for the trip. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today we got a late start. We try to get in and out early, but today was a little slower. He even helped me find two new recipes. So we got all the ingredients compiled into a list and got ready to go. Since it's rainy and crappy outside, I decided to go with the comfy jeans and hoodie combo. It's a classic. It was also easily accessible because it was in a basket of unfolded laundry. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">The hoodie also makes it easy to keep up with my pen for the list and the coupons. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">My game plan is to always do any HBA first, then I go towards the back and start on the food. Meat is always next to last and bread is always dead last. I have a fear of bacteria growing in my meat while I push the cart around looking for other stuff and then we die later. And I hate it when my bread gets smushed because they will act like they're dying if their bread is an odd shape. Other than that, I navigate through aisles based on slow families and people I am trying to avoid because I don't want to talk to them. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I have my standard items that are ALWAYS on the list- lunch meat, cheese, waters, coffee. Then there are those items that are specific to a certain recipe- cilantro, pesto, certain shredded cheeses. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Today we decided to check out some healthy snack alternatives since the NSLs are going to be home more. I thought it would be good to look at some granola or fruit bars. That way they get a little sweet- but not full on candy sweet. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I don't think I've ever read the nutrition info on a granola or fruit bar, so I had The Mr. grab a box so we could compare. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We are standing there in the granola/ cereal aisle comparing calories, sugars, and portions. I had to put everything in my classic hoodie pocket so my hands would be free to hold more than one box. He leans over to grab a box from towards the bottom shelf and says "Hey, what's that?"</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I look down at my feet to see what he's talking about. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">My eyes focus. It appears to be a mint colored cloth. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">"Are those underwear?", he asks. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Yes. Yes, they were underwear. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">"Are those yours?"</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Um. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">"Did they fall out of your hoodie?"</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Um. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I stuttered. I stammered. And then threw out a quick "No! I don't have any mint undies!"</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We stand there for a minute while he asks again and again if I'm sure. Like I'm going to pick them up and check!?! Like I write my name in them!?! </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">He throws the boxes of granola bars that we both have in our hands into the cart and says, "Well let's move away from here- who knows what's been going on!" So we moved on down to the end of the aisle to pick out cereal. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Ya'll know what I'm getting ready to say, don't you? <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMp-e3J2z93wqIRaegDxnu1e4nipSG7uMSJbTFvIp1vGTdIPiIti-n7bn8rsSTckZN3ch27-ZNFvTYLyTvt1KrkNMf3tAdC6O5s8myiQSUWN7mKCVjWeEb3NoweOhCLH0-xC_H90EOzE/s640/blogger-image-632450928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMp-e3J2z93wqIRaegDxnu1e4nipSG7uMSJbTFvIp1vGTdIPiIti-n7bn8rsSTckZN3ch27-ZNFvTYLyTvt1KrkNMf3tAdC6O5s8myiQSUWN7mKCVjWeEb3NoweOhCLH0-xC_H90EOzE/s640/blogger-image-632450928.jpg"></a></div></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">THEY WERE MINE!!! </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">He was right! They were either caught inside my hoodie and fell out when I weighed it down with all the stuff. Or they were in the pant leg of my comfy jeans and just shimmied their way out while we were walking. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Either way- the ONE pair of mint un"mint"tionables that I own got swept away by a stranger at the grocery store today! A woman KNOWS her underwear!!</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I couldn't tell him they were mine. I just couldn't. Ya'll will laugh WITH me- he would never let this go!! NEVER! Thank goodness one of the NSLs wasn't with me - I could only imagine the scene!!!</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Can you imagine being the next person who ponders over which granola bar to buy? The next conversation to be had in front of the fruit bars? "Hon, what's that? Are they yours? Are you sure?"</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">In a tiny (very minuscule) way I feel bad for not being honest with him - but it's not something I won't get over pretty soon. </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">We made it through the rest of trip without me losing any other under garments. But, Lord, I was nervous! I kept looking behind me just to be sure I wasn't leaving a trail!</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">As tense as it was, at least it was more exciting than normal. Usually the most exciting thing is the price difference after she takes off the coupons!! </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">So what's our take away today, folks? </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Make a list. Plan ahead. Take a shopping buddy. And fold your clothes!!</div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"> </div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div>Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-21995670561425514692015-05-23T20:29:00.000-05:002015-05-23T20:32:10.706-05:00Squirrels and Mr. Brightside<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Happy Weekends, Friends! We made it through Chickadee’s graduation. (My goodness, what
a proud moment.) I have been to countless graduations and always tear up and
feel emotional for the other families. There has not been a prouder mommy
moment for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
She is ready to work hard this summer and start her classes
in the fall. The rest of us are just ready for it to be summer vacation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We are done. School is over. We know that it is officially
summer because we have our summer pool passes (Thank you Grandma Susan!). I
picked those up on Friday so that we would have them for the weekend. Our
public pools always open the Saturday after the last day of school- so today
was the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I was soooooo ready, too!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
There were a few things to take care of during the first
part of the day, but I knew that I would make it there eventually today- with
at least one of the NSLs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The pool doesn’t close until 6pm; I knew we had some time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Once Littlest NSL made the choice that he was going with me-
it was just a matter of getting out the door. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
And this is where it starts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I had to hide out in the bathroom for a while, let’s just
say that my legs were “less than ready” to be at the pool. After that madness was over, we had to make sure that
everyone’s suits from last year fit.(No one has been shopping yet). He was lucky. His went right on! Mine on the
other hand, has apparently been secretly replaced with a size smaller than I
wore last year. I will have to check all CCTV footage to see who broke into my
home and did that- I will get back to you with the results as soon as I know.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I found my cover up- whew- so that was a little relief.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Once we were confident that no one was going to break any
laws for indecency (barely), we had to get the bag ready. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We had everything but sunscreen. No problem. We can stop at
the store on the way there. Let’s just get in the van and get in the sun!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I decided that rather than having to hide my purse in the
van and risk having my lipstick melt in the process that I would just grab my
wallet and toss it in the pool bag. Gotta make sure that I have my ID with me,
right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We stop at a little store on the way there, grab some 50SPF
and we are on our way to glorious sun and water fun!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We make it there. Yeah! I am soooooo ready. {At this point there are 2 hours left until
the pool closes. But that’s okay- we are going to get in the sun and we are
going to get wet!!!}<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We pull in and there aren’t very many cars- yeah! More room
for us!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
As we are walking towards the entrance (he is in front of me
with the chair and bag), I look down at my keys and realize that I never
attached the little passes with the bar codes on them that the sweet little
lady at Parks and Rec gave us. There is a card for each person. So that means
that I should have 5 on my keys. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I have zero.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Crap. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
They are in my purse. The purse that I decided to leave at
home. So I call him over and tell him to come back over to the van for a
second. I explained to him what I had done. (Or had not done, depending on how
you look at it). So we are going to have
to pay cash. No biggie- except I hardly ever have cash- because I use my card
for everything!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Lucky for us- it is after 3pm- so it is only $3 a person. 3
x2 =6 Wanna guess how much I have in my
wallet? Yep. NOT 6. I had $5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
No biggie. Hop in the van- lets run to this little gas
station and use their ATM. We back out
and hear a weird sound. Then we see a kind gentleman walk towards the van- that’s
when we realize that neither of us put the chair in. It was just leaned up
against the van while I checked the cash sitch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Ok, now all the people and furniture are in the van and we
are pulling away from the pool. {Wrong direction} But never fear, we will be
relaxing in the cool of the pool in just a few.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We head down to the gas station. I hop out- in my gorg cover
up and flops- and walk over to the ATM that is going to charge me 50-11 dollars
in fees because it is not my bank. It says to insert card and remove quickly. I
followed directions. It gave me a BIG RED X and said my card could not be read.
I tried again and again and again. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
UGH! SO I get BACK in the van and explain to him that we are
going to have to go farther away from the pool and use a different ATM. We head
towards our bank, ride through the drive through ATM and BINGO BANGO DUNZO- we
get some cash!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Relieved that we now have about an hour to enjoy the pool,
we start on our way back over. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We pull up, unload, and pay our way in. At this point there
are only about 11 people left at the pool. I think there were more lifeguards
than there were swimmers!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Feeling very safe, I disrobe- careful not to make eye
contact with anyone who is there as I do it- because then I would feel the need
to apologize to them for exposing them to such trauma.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We spray each other down with the SPF 50 and make our way to
the water. Oh wait, did I say “water”? What I meant to say was “glacier run-off”.
Yes. I am pretty confident that our local pool has a direct line to arctic
aqua. Pretty sure the water I was in had just recently flowed past a little
polar bear booty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
At this point there are now 6 people at the pool and we are
2 of them. He throws on his goggles and is like a fis<span style="font-family: inherit;">h back and forth, off the</span>
diving board, in and out of the water and begging me to do the same. However, I
am in the 3 ft. on the baby side of the floaty blue rope and bobbers because I
can’t walk in any farther for fear of organ failure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We look over at the clock by the snack bar and notice that the
pool closes in 10 minutes. {Insert “ugh”
face here}.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We get out, dry off, pack up, and head back to the van.
(Where we were just a few short minutes ago.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
And we head to the hacienda. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Somehow in all this madness, my wonderful, loving,
compassionate, caring, understanding, patient, <span style="font-family: inherit;">fun, and sweet as can be son says,
“We can always come back tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, Mr. Brightside. We will go back tomorrow.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">( I have already attached the cards to the keys, I have the sunscreen in the bag. And I have made sure that NOTHING will come between us and that pool tomorrow!)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hope you are enjoying the start of your break or are getting pretty close!</span></span></div>
Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-78156845904419187692015-05-07T21:58:00.000-05:002016-02-17T17:51:45.040-06:00Mother's Day Presents and a Confession<div style="text-align: left;">Hello! My name is Squirrels and I neglect my blog. I say I won't - but I do- again and again. </div><div><div style="text-align: left;">It's just so easy to use Instagram to post a quick pic- and I'm just so swamped and overloaded that I don't have time to sit down and write a whole post. </div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjffwwDzBBdWONdd67CWnrHOOnpq3XEL14kshTDK_Jpu81fFSfN-Jxc6DhvcxpMr5pUn2AV9Ns5orDAcugc2LCoa_4tyzDZRdMZ83KZ3uY-xdcvkBoRiM4K3PwoNJhXxk4P3dnFodQ0dE/s640/blogger-image-1213014890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjffwwDzBBdWONdd67CWnrHOOnpq3XEL14kshTDK_Jpu81fFSfN-Jxc6DhvcxpMr5pUn2AV9Ns5orDAcugc2LCoa_4tyzDZRdMZ83KZ3uY-xdcvkBoRiM4K3PwoNJhXxk4P3dnFodQ0dE/s640/blogger-image-1213014890.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oops. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, so I have been enjoying work free evenings. I've done a lot of crocheting. I've watched a few new series. I've napped on the couch. I've stayed up all night stalking through 42 weeks of people's Instas. (Very careful not to like anything older than 2 weeks). So, I have "done" stuff if you're getting technical. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I DID get productive with the NSLs (Not-So-Littles), for the MIL's Mother's Day and Birthday gifts- and that's the original reason for the post. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Her bday is on the 12th of May and a few times it actually ends up being on Mother's Day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Over the years we have separated them - because they are two different days and we wanted her to feel special on both days. But this year- she's gonna have to go halfsies with us- </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maybe she can feel special only til noon on Mother's Day and then wait until after noon on her birthday? Because this year her gifts are serving as dual tokens of our love and appreciation. #cheaters</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The MIL is a very unique and special woman- in the best way possible! Some of you have seen her 12 Days of Christmas that she does for us each year- or her other very inventive ideas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And since we know she is so creative and thoughtful when she celebrates a holiday with us, we want her to feel that we have put just as much thought into her! And she loves, appreciates, displays/uses everything that we send her!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We picked three handmade items to make for her this year- that way each of the NSLs had something special to make. We scrolled through Pinterest and googled. And these are what we came up with. They were all pretty simple- but it was the fact that she would actually use them that made them stick out for us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of them was the gardening apron that is made from old jeans. She has lots of flower and fairy gardens, so we thought she could get lots of use from this one. We used a tutorial from YouTube. He picked out the buttons and ribbon - she loves red, black, and white! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was his first time to use a hot glue gun- he only burnt me once, so that's good. He even modeled it for me for this pic afterwards! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCvPHULWTDJDLZh1XxAutwBjwFFVXWryqiYat8LhBLopcYTVLfqLkyL_7V7sFhzzqIX8OefeTCZ_KTHdF094muOM19AvNjn4UIKbNicVXHMJhvIOkhH3C1kMo5hDITZMh0bsaWcIJC_s/s640/blogger-image--1380144048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlCvPHULWTDJDLZh1XxAutwBjwFFVXWryqiYat8LhBLopcYTVLfqLkyL_7V7sFhzzqIX8OefeTCZ_KTHdF094muOM19AvNjn4UIKbNicVXHMJhvIOkhH3C1kMo5hDITZMh0bsaWcIJC_s/s640/blogger-image--1380144048.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did add the buttons without his help. Sometimes the hot glue gun is a little uncomfortable for a bit - but needles will stab you and make you bleed. I thought better of having him attempt it. We added three buttons because these are The Mr. 's old jeans and I wasn't sure how she would need to adjust. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The whole apron cost just under $5.00 to make! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s4Z2h-FVpfLWYtmuo2tNclS5PJjmuJJrkLRPr2_sot7B0A45R3cRzaB27ywIT4BKoHTY__UxJ1C_KQqylGy3A78aP2pa37qx02m0RNnC8y8-IBlA1KyahCqZPLnzCR70uWkU7n4fksQ/s640/blogger-image-965653271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s4Z2h-FVpfLWYtmuo2tNclS5PJjmuJJrkLRPr2_sot7B0A45R3cRzaB27ywIT4BKoHTY__UxJ1C_KQqylGy3A78aP2pa37qx02m0RNnC8y8-IBlA1KyahCqZPLnzCR70uWkU7n4fksQ/s640/blogger-image-965653271.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chickadee chose to make the Lemon Sugar Scrub. I made it before with my firsties, so it was familiar. She used the simple olive oil, sugar, lemon juice recipe that we googled. We had the chalkboard contact paper and only had to buy the jar and the jute. ANOTHER present for under $5.00 that she will love and use. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfu5F0Lv1ZYJL2cEKobsCL1HqIEGbazYo8k7YK7-9kYvhc9hvK26Fzg8xQWT1DMIFXIsrfoqGVptDJVlElMlVgXGAn9FWet0y-BCbA54a8MOdMgCIUs1LycQVpWq4UAea-4lgBlw__I5A/s640/blogger-image--1219377184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfu5F0Lv1ZYJL2cEKobsCL1HqIEGbazYo8k7YK7-9kYvhc9hvK26Fzg8xQWT1DMIFXIsrfoqGVptDJVlElMlVgXGAn9FWet0y-BCbA54a8MOdMgCIUs1LycQVpWq4UAea-4lgBlw__I5A/s640/blogger-image--1219377184.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Littlest <strike>Not So</strike> Little made these adorable magnets for her. I have also made these in the past- not as a class- just because I saw it on the internet and I was probably supposed to be doing something else.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They are very VERY simple. The circle dictionary entries were printed for free from scrapbook site a couple of years ago. I couldn't find these exact ones when I searched the web- I don't have that computer anymore. But there are tons available for free!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We just used modge-podge to stick the circles to the bottom of these glass decoration pebbles. After they dried, he stuck the magnets on- they are even adhesive backed magnets- so no glue gun needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHxG-_6h0UZDEv2EGEwaWFnNXABl7uG4v_ytTSzN7eXYbNRlcFS3f1P-LxGP5h3bh_Uzx2BweDg0zuNHoJtWoDluQFsyBHHMyA4bU3Uj4aS-WvciAroixXVdZaqH0oBacNwVJQzK2eLs/s640/blogger-image-1009097773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaHxG-_6h0UZDEv2EGEwaWFnNXABl7uG4v_ytTSzN7eXYbNRlcFS3f1P-LxGP5h3bh_Uzx2BweDg0zuNHoJtWoDluQFsyBHHMyA4bU3Uj4aS-WvciAroixXVdZaqH0oBacNwVJQzK2eLs/s640/blogger-image-1009097773.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To put them together as a gift, he just put them on this mason jar lid, put in the bag, and tied with ribbon! Bingo Bango Dunzo! We had most of the materials here- just needed to pick up the magnets in a pack of 18 for $3.00! Now I know I listed about how much each gift cost to make- And yes, technically, we did make all of these for less than what it cost to ship it to her! She always says "Don't spend your money- just send me a picture!" I happen to know that she secretly adores DIY/CRAFTY gifts from the NSL- and I end up looking like MaGyver Mom because we racked up Grandma points with a paper clip and a roll of ribbon! HA!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2Uu8A0-l1RMaGM4iDSf_eEK0yogIb1BKkBFiIhD7AL5ysrVG_nURNR8JZsfhg1FgMPJme0p32cGRBgsYaX8oFjxNjGx-2sUjuF7vl7Bot1RzY9EqKdZ9DbDk_F3QcceuSkOCrC-0tyk/s640/blogger-image--1070991103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2Uu8A0-l1RMaGM4iDSf_eEK0yogIb1BKkBFiIhD7AL5ysrVG_nURNR8JZsfhg1FgMPJme0p32cGRBgsYaX8oFjxNjGx-2sUjuF7vl7Bot1RzY9EqKdZ9DbDk_F3QcceuSkOCrC-0tyk/s640/blogger-image--1070991103.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think my favorite part of her gift is her card! We went to the porch and laughed like crazy because there was one distraction after another to get them all to look at the camera. Not sure if you can see, but in one of the pics everyone is freaking out over a frog on the porch! (He lives in one of our flower pots- so technically I guess we were on HIS front porch, too)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8AcIr2RmP5QSneWOhDItWmO6fAgdhN5AKWjla9TCoiWeLQUbBiqhFB1brg_5tAkGOwHN0cKjDjMk73NjGS6DbZN3yMaZmyw9aN-qwuWOGI52M0V0vvnU4cQBmQXXWx8AwMmIp5cCo3o/s640/blogger-image--1067865560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8AcIr2RmP5QSneWOhDItWmO6fAgdhN5AKWjla9TCoiWeLQUbBiqhFB1brg_5tAkGOwHN0cKjDjMk73NjGS6DbZN3yMaZmyw9aN-qwuWOGI52M0V0vvnU4cQBmQXXWx8AwMmIp5cCo3o/s640/blogger-image--1067865560.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Maybe you have a last minute gift to make- we have a history of being last minute kind of people. I am very excited that we got this all made, packaged, and mailed off in ONE DAY! Easy Peasy- Lemon Scrub Squeezy! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">One day I am going to take a picture of all the notes that I write down for possible blog posts. Posts that inevitably ended up being one shot Instagram posts. Maybe I should change my blog name to Land of the Lost Posts. ( I find it very hard to type this without emojis to help add feeling to my words! Just picture the Laughing/crying/tears/emoji)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope everyone enjoys their Mother's Day weekend! Til next time~</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-90251247221244171762015-02-23T12:19:00.000-06:002015-02-23T12:19:36.313-06:00The Shared 15 ContinuesWow it has already been a month and a half since I blogged about The Shared 15 and the QR codes that we are using in the house- I had every intention of coming back in a couple of weeks to let you know how it was going.<br />
I bet you thought, "Hmm- it came and went and they aren't doing anything with it anymore". "It turned into a flop"<br />
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The Mr. and The Not So Littles thought the same thing! They were convinced that Mom would make us play along - I even overheard him say, "Just go with it". {insert shock face here}<br />
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I guess we (I) have tried lots of ways to motivate them in the past. Like I said before, there were charts and lists and jars- full of chores. There was money and game nights and pick a dessert rewards. But nothing really S.T.U.C.K.<br />
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Until now.<br />
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We are rounding the last corner of February and here we are- still going strong!<br />
There have been a few tweaks made, but overall it is still the same concept!<br />
In case you are with me for the first time (hope you'll come back) or you have forgotten- here is the very quick jist of it:<br />
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The Shared 15 means that IMMEDIATELY following dinner EVERYONE in the house gets up and participates in spending 15 mins of their day cleaning a SHARED space in our home. It could be the bathroom, hallway, staircase, living room,- anywhere that is not just our own bedroom basically.<br />
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The QR codes came into play with how they are rewarded for their work. I'll link the last post <a href="http://goingnuttyinmisssquirrelsfirstgrade.blogspot.com/2015/01/im-super-excited-can-you-tell.html">here</a> so that you can read more about the codes.<br />
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We are still using the same calendar and I still number each child with 1,2, or 3 for the day. This will determine what job they are doing. It was a bit tricky at first to set it up, but then I approached it like I was creating a rotating center chart.....using my teacher brain helped me out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Df_gKu1gS4nZtFQA0-ED1N7PROIbNopE43IF3cWXzycoiPmwhzzYXrHOK8WO1moDXrYQY2Ws5sHzgJtKT8hQ0wrtwFwjuKb7sT5_hyphenhyphenY5FdjYgn9ZC0vz-vGdnLcd5jp7sz9jMhI9J6E/s640/blogger-image-1955928723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Df_gKu1gS4nZtFQA0-ED1N7PROIbNopE43IF3cWXzycoiPmwhzzYXrHOK8WO1moDXrYQY2Ws5sHzgJtKT8hQ0wrtwFwjuKb7sT5_hyphenhyphenY5FdjYgn9ZC0vz-vGdnLcd5jp7sz9jMhI9J6E/s640/blogger-image-1955928723.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is the calendar. I made a much easier way to see who has what on each day. It really is simple. 1 and 2 are the same tasks everyday. It is 3 that is different. Three are the jobs that don't need to be done everyday but do need to be done often.<br />
So I made sure I had descriptions of what I expected.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 is the only one that is gender biased. I don't think she should have to clean the toilet they share and I don't think the boys should have to wipe her hairspray off the vanity.</td></tr>
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You just can't beat it.</div>
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Take Sunday there for instance- right after dinner everyone gets up- One child heads to the bathroom to clean the toilet and shake out the rug, another grabs the broom and starts sweeping from the hall to the back door and looks for thinks that don't belong in our shared space, and the last one picks up the dogs' feeder and waterer- washes it in the sink, refills, sweeps up the area where the food goes and then replaces it.</div>
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And it all "just happens" . I don't have to say anything other than "Ok, let's get our 15 knocked out".</div>
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Now if what you have to do for the day takes less time than the 15, you head to your room and work in there until the timer goes off.</div>
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yes, there is a timer, Littlest Little made sure of that!!</div>
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And on Fridays, they all bring their ipods and iphones in to scan the QR codes for their rewards for the week. We write them down on the calendar and when they cash them in- we draw a line through them. Bing-o Bang-o Done-zo! </div>
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We are looking to add a few different rewards- to switch things up a bit- they are older than the "play a game together" or "screen time" rewards, so they have things like iTunes songs, movie rentals, small amounts of cash, free chore day, free laundry (they LOVE THAT ONE)..</div>
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It really has been a huge success for us.</div>
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We had the 15 years ago, but they were too small for what they did to really count and take a load off of me. Not to say that it went unappreciated, but my burden of cleaning was not significantly reduced.</div>
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Now it is a completely different story!!! </div>
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We do the kitchen after the 15- everyone has a regular unchanging part of the kitchen, so that goes pretty smoothly and is usually rather quick. </div>
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When that is finished- most nights no later than 6:30, we have the rest of our evening to enjoy a neat and tidy home in our shared spaces! </div>
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It is truly a beautiful thing! And there are 5 of us- so that's 75 minutes of work EVERYDAY. That's - hold on let me get my calculator- 525 mins a week - which is the same as almost 9 hours of cleaning a week!!! AMAZING! (They hate when I bring that up).</div>
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His laptop that I use now is old and evil- so I created the Shared 15 chart on the worst word processor ever- known to man- really- it sucks. If I linked the editable doc here that was made on his laptop, it would probably show up in some weird non existent language with lines in all the wrong places. But it does allow me to save to a PDF. So I am linking the PDF- and if it is something you are interested in, you could remake it to fit your needs. Sorry that isn't easier.</div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/cipc653vfdw7mt0/chores%20shared%2015.pdf?dl=0">The Shared 15 Chore Chart</a></div>
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As far as the QR codes go- the ones we are currently using are in the previous post </div>
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It has been especially nice to have everything so neat since we have been cooped up in the house for 10 days. Snow, ice, flooding, more ice, wind chills have all been culprits of what has kept us home!</div>
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This last part I have to share- It is one way I have kept busy and sane in the last few days. Which you have already seen if you are following my Etsy's Fanpage or my Insta</div>
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If you just can't stand the cuteness, My Etsy store is linked at the top of my blog! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpD6uYoQOnu_4s0_1LyHNDSPgc0oBCj6Q-OA5QVV-pY3X5x7rGmg_JdN91qAIX9ftdPd-NkajOxHnc47F6AuLiobkuIR4hOq5ytO1z2a_teZiCZ9TRV41Xuof-eK5JnBBlaBBWlquudc/s640/blogger-image-2023896518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpD6uYoQOnu_4s0_1LyHNDSPgc0oBCj6Q-OA5QVV-pY3X5x7rGmg_JdN91qAIX9ftdPd-NkajOxHnc47F6AuLiobkuIR4hOq5ytO1z2a_teZiCZ9TRV41Xuof-eK5JnBBlaBBWlquudc/s640/blogger-image-2023896518.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here's to hoping that we head back to school soon!!! (Said everyone mom of three after 10 days EVER!!!) HA HA!</div>
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I plan to update you on The Shared 15 and any changes we make. I'll also be sure to post any updates to the QR codes we are using! I would love to hear about it if you give it a go- and see how it works for you!</div>
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I also plan to share how the Not-So-Littles help me out with Instant Lunches- Another lifesaver we have going on. There are others, too!</div>
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So stay tuned and stay safe.</div>
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-73682771993049389102015-01-04T22:49:00.000-06:002015-01-04T23:01:32.899-06:00I'm SUPER Excited!!! (Can you tell?)<div style="text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year! <br />
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It was a non-exciting ringing in of the New Year around here! Littlest Little was the only one who went to a party- and I fell asleep 13 minutes before the ball dropped.<br />
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There weren't any big resolutions this year around here either. I've done that in the past, and I feel like I stick with things a little better if I don't make it a resolution! (Kind of like reverse psychology. On myself.)<br />
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Over this break though, I have noticed that we have gotten away from all of the pitching in the way that we used to. It's kind of hard to make that judgment when you have wrapping paper and decorations and new gidget gadgets everywhere, but trust me, I could tell.<br />
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We were riding in the van one day and I was thinking of how I could get The <strike>not so little</strike> Littles to participate like they used to. It used to be so easy. We had charts and allowances. Ya'll, it used to cost me mere pennies to get clothes picked up and towels folded and put away. Pennies!!</div>
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And then there were cards that moved from one side of the chart to another. We also had magnetic charts. As they grew, they outgrew them. Times changed and before I knew it, I couldn't get a toilet scrubbed for a shiny quarter anymore. (Who am I kidding, right?)</div>
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So I thought about how to incorporate something that is relevant to them. And I saw it. Right there in front of me. It was staring me right in the face. Actually, it was stuck to my shoe on the floorboard. . It was the receipt from grocery shopping. On the bottom of the receipt was a QR code. And I had a brainstorm!!!!</div>
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I thought, "What if I turned their rewards for chores into QR codes?" That way they would have to scan it to find out what their reward was. I figured this would be "fun" for them. At least I was hoping it would be. I needed a motivator.</div>
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I put out the ALL CALL to my IG PEEPS to try and think of some rewards that would be either FREE or VERY CLOSE TO FREE- remember, there are three of them. And it can get a little pricey when they all have their hands out! My IG buddies did not fail me! They helped me think of some great ones, and I added a few of my own.</div>
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Let me tell you the amount of stuff that DID NOT get done while I was working on getting this set up for us!</div>
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I had to figure out how I was going to use the QR codes. I created them (video below), moved them to one sheet, printed multiple copies, cut them out, and then placed them in these trading card pages. I got them at Wal-Mart (near the binders) for $3 for 10. I added a link to those codes at the bottom as well. Now these are motivators for my children. Yours may be different. And that is why I added the video, so if these don't work for you - you can make your own. (Not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, but I am SUPER EXCITED about this and I want it to be SUPER EASY for anyone who is eager to try.</div>
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There are nine slots on each sheet. So I came up with nine rewards- one is actually a repeat . I added them to six different trading card pages, that way I could pull out a different one each week and no one would try to memorize where certain rewards were. Every Friday, they will each get to pick two codes to scan from the same page. These are the rewards that are there:</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*Kitchen Chore Freebie (whatever their part of the kitchen is- one is unload, one is load, one is trash & table) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*One FREE chore day (The whole day - don't even have to participate in the "Shared 15")<br />
*Mom will do one load of my laundry (they all do their own, so this is a treat for them) <br />
*One app- ($1.99 or less) <br />
*One Itunes song (there are two of these on this board) <br />
*One book, magazine, or poster ($5 value) <br />
*One 1-day Redbox Rental (movie or game) (My IG friend, Sarah, reminded me of all the codes they send me for free rentals all the time! Cha ching!)<br />
*$3.00 (There is gas station about a mile from the house, the boys like to ride their bikes up there together and get candy or a soda sometimes- so the cash is good) </span></div>
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(And I plan to update and change out rewards as I think of different ones)</div>
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They each have to participate in the "Shared 15" each day- plus they have to keep up with their own rooms. This will make the H-E-double-hockey-sticks that is "Saturday Cleaning" a breeze!</div>
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Now, What is the "Shared 15"? That is something we started a couple of years ago- and it WORKED. For a long time. And then life got crazy and shifts changed and it stopped being enforced. </div>
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So it is BACK! </div>
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IMMEDIATELY following dinner (before the dishes are done) everyone has to devote a SOLID 15 minutes to a SHARED LIVING SPACE. The living room, bathroom, dining room, hall, stairs. Anywhere that we all SHARE. This keeps everything so tidy and makes it really nice when the kitchen is finished and we can all relax. To make it a little easier to remember and to be fair (so no one gets stuck with the toilet all the time, I numbered three tasks and rotated the numbers. ) </div>
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So there is a number next to their initial on each day. </div>
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No. 1 if it's one of the boys, they have to Clorox wipe the toilets and sweep the bathrooms, if it's Chickadee, she'll have the vanity and trash.</div>
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No. 2 We only have carpet in the bedrooms, so you have to sweep the dust bunnies away.</div>
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No. 3 "Stuff Patrol" means- going through the living room and dining room and looking for and putting away things that don't belong there. Books, shoes, bags, toys, cords, etc.<br />
And there are 5 of us- so that's 75 minutes of work EVERYDAY. That's - hold on let me get my calculator- 525 mins a week - which is the same as almost 9 hours of cleaning a week!!! AMAZING!</div>
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I filled out the whole month! <br />
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I wanted them to be as excited about this as I am, so we went ahead and "scanned" on Friday- just 1 though, since it was only half a week. <br />
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She was excited about her game (app) and Littlest Little is very excited that I did his laundry today! (And she is older now, but is playing the game to help keep the boys motivated. Plus, who doesn't love free stuff??!)</div>
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A note about Apps and iTunes songs. The Apps are easy to "gift"- they just need an email address. The songs, however, you have to make sure that they select a "single", so that you can "gift" them just the one song- otherwise you will end up sending them an entire album.</div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk7jdfr2sn94p3z/QRs%20for%20chores-%20share.pdf?dl=0">List of QR Codes</a> rewards I am using.</div>
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And now for the video- Good Gravy.</div>
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While you are watching, you can play a game called count all the "uhs" and all the times Squirrels says "Super". WTH? I NEVER say "super"! I guess I was just "super nervous". </div>
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I know this was long post- can you tell I am pumped about this? The possibilities are endless!! I sent the list to several IG friends this week, I just couldn't keep it to myself! I hope they are all able to incorporate it somehow! I would love to hear feedback or even see how this works for your family!</div>
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Happy Scanning,<br />
Squirrels<br />
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-39503417090981137392014-12-11T11:04:00.000-06:002014-12-11T11:04:00.534-06:00Holiday Spirit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Hello Bloggy friends!</div>
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I have been absent from posting- not because I don't think about it, but because my hands have been super busy lately! And while I am a pretty decent multi tasker, I haven't figured out how to crochet and type at the same time!! </div>
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My days are filled with spending time in classrooms all over the district and my evenings are filled with my feet up, a hot coffee, and a crochet needle in my hand!</div>
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I am super excited about the popularity of my work- from blankets I have made, to cozies that crack me up, and to custom orders that I love filling!! </div>
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I am very thankful for all the kind comments and wonderful feedback I have received in my etsy shop!</div>
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I am VERY excited about a listing I have for the holidays!<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214528247/mommys-choice-holiday-special?ref=shop_home_active_2"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214528247/mommys-choice-holiday-special?ref=shop_home_active_2" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSihZmCHNJgBA_KXpw6pU4e1oawoM-w5Cn6Qo-5GspjOh_l-vOHPKv-1picI02GFu92yxLVIpvUa4lcUsdFL3MWHvb18dv6lfx2PI1bw8jhp8jXPD9ohf9JNbaawLh9Tv-b8MsD3LsFc/s400/blogger-image-452435575.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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With this listing, the buyer receives a gift certificate to give to a special mom or mom to be. After the new year, she can come to the shop and chose from two styles of chevron baby afghans in colors that SHE CHOOSES!! </div>
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Yep! She gets to design it!! And I do all the work! There are some color names and choices listed- but they are just for convenience. She can even send me pictures of the baby's nursery, and we can work together to make a perfect match! </div>
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This certificate also includes the shipping to ANYWHERE in the US!! </div>
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When I thought of this idea, I figured I would list 10 certificates, this would ensure that the Mom choosing her designing her afghan wouldn't have to wait too long. As of today, there are 9 left! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214528247/mommys-choice-holiday-special?ref=shop_home_active_2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214528247/mommys-choice-holiday-special?ref=shop_home_active_2" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63CLILMdDWplVxhzA1zX51z_hORSqo2rB1H3HEeVktiI55Nwwf8RsZvI4td9tuvOxZJiFYFOexoL5PSzbyldMLCw0A3fAu9EMcqLZMe1Ew1YVz0VLMcqlb0u4H8jstmjuu3cmX84_yt0/s400/blogger-image-1406857750.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you to Heidi from My Not So Elementary Life for the certificate!</td></tr>
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These would be perfect to print and put in a card OR to send digitally! {and no one would tell on you if you bought a certificate for yourself!} I am really looking forward to the color combos I'll get to work with! AND to see pics of those babies with their afghans! </div>
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This Holiday Special will be available right up to December 25th. After that it will be removed. I'll still have custom listings, but they will have regular shipping charges.</div>
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While you are there in my shop today, be sure to check out these popular guys! Coffee has never been so cute!! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/213931188/rudy-the-reindeer-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/213931188/rudy-the-reindeer-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_3" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CBccmpT-zAjka4jLO5Z0Cd2r-hRmdb4Hfh6dzPqTgkaS5hyrGN_M6mER7yR_gMDUX2bbxMPtuvKDYszka473u37NiDM4pd78qzianfKZFaWrmSUbBMflk4Y9pb7cVTQ_lurmvAfVvBo/s400/blogger-image-900433478.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudy the Reindeer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/211911441/shimmer-the-snowman-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/211911441/shimmer-the-snowman-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCR13uoDGFsfWdnNMLVzlecnESBXarUrKl99Bcmjfllguc9CbhT6HbdSfkKOl7I7Sj0N7xMlwTHX1MIgM7b8nI_F_0iwT-tBBEl_ODRnpS75Wb8jV6VCzl99F_P4ct_TzFmKZ0CAo13k/s400/blogger-image-759312316.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimmer the Snowman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/211330455/georgie-the-gingerbread-man-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/211330455/georgie-the-gingerbread-man-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_4" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pG57Gkj7DeXBTjtaisIDf2vFzyO35Txsa8foN2nacZENba_RKfMXqbxPSVbmJGReJo6ZhFgQYY3XvAhp4upnvpFwDXVaxPBvZUsUslUFWraSCQXaHLyfeuQ6rIamc46gvbH_m-IUBHc/s400/blogger-image--384068241.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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I'll be sure to mark them in the store when I feel like they can no longer reach you by Christmas!! </div>
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Also be sure to "like" my shop's fanpage on Facebook. I always post there when I add new items, too!<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Squirrels-Shop/564084783719590"> Miss Squirrels Facebook Fanpage</a></div>
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With the break coming in just 9 days, I'm not sure if I'll have another blog post up- but I'll have my fanpage updated with how many gift certificates are available.</div>
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Thanks to everyone who has supported me with the venture- whether it has been through a purchase or your super sweet comments! Feel free to Tweet, Pin, Post, Like, Favorite.....i.e. Share :)</div>
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Wishing you and yours the best,</div>
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Squirrels</div>
<br />Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-53078893356073243262014-10-21T17:11:00.002-05:002014-10-21T17:15:13.187-05:00A Tuesday Giveaway!!!<div>
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Today is Tuesday!</div>
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That means a few things if you live in the "Nuthouse" (get it? cause we're Squirrels) </div>
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Anyway- you know it's Tuesday here because one out of three Littles will come home and tell me that it is Taco Tuesday Fundraising night for our cluster of schools at the taco joint down the road. </div>
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We also know it's Tuesday because I will tell that Little "No." </div>
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It is Taco Tuesday for all 3 schools and they have 4 parking spaces in front of the building. </div>
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Nope.</div>
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You can also tell it's Tuesday because two out of three Littles will get off the bus with two things in mind. </div>
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1.) I have to get a snack before I die. </div>
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2.) I have to remind Littlest Little that it's Towel Tuesday! </div>
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I swear, if they worried more about what they were responsible for instead of what the others were.....you know where that's going, right?</div>
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Littlest Little has limited chores. Cause he's little. (Duh?) He's getting bigger though- so along with trash, we gave him another chore which is to wash, dry, fold, and put away the towels in their bathroom- on Tuesdays.</div>
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It's a pretty big deal- to him. It may be a BIGGER deal to the other two, cause they feel like they're supervisors now! (We know my thoughts on "supervisors")</div>
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"Don't forget the towels! It's Tuesday! Did you get the towels out of the dryer? Remember to fold them in thirds"</div>
(Hmmm- they sound like someone else I .....nevermind)<br />
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You also know it's Tuesday around here cause We The People get the TV back tonight!!! There is nothing but football on the tube Sat- Mon!!! Ugh. It is a small celebration when you realize that you get to use the remote!! </div>
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I am gonna watch the crap outta some Dateline and 20/20 and maybe some Snapped! (He hates those shows..... Cause he thinks I'm taking notes!)</div>
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Watching football over the weekend though DID give me the opportunity to play around with some yarn ! At the urging of <a href="http://mrswheelerfirst.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Wheeler</a>- I started making pumpkins. And they turned out pretty cute! </div>
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While I listened to him go on and on about this player and that coach, I just crocheted away.</div>
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Here's the result:</div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLHw_yEGvCyf-cYM7qLGz3JtlULZeUzfKFGbJrvwlQ-m1Hd3JsPS6gj-yrghjevIGhwLqJxq3z9RzQGH_9cd9igdbD4EG4s4dWOocdc-KEtLOBDJQ_tp01pckcmJ8KEK9X9oC1_lwmas/s640/blogger-image-703787662.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTnjeYagdKaZA1oz6OaBcNDFYlrkWd6t84GJWbQzbbcXxsXvrBljQaUNKk9EvVAVKaoBf6jq6YH4_PxijObwoffj91EOj8uV8uzKFOOc9-rzhQ2lOtLNDh_m_6aUTMTehDsvQWlFF9pY/s640/blogger-image-11754066.jpg" /></a></div>
I added them to my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1">Etsy</a>, too this weekend.<br />
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And then turned my kitchen table into mailing station!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1"><img alt="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZPYEgUB-tpnhk8ztG0qEqcMpbqg6BrllOQu45Z1PgZ1vWsGXP8ZKlFOFOKLajf8h3I2OVQXAhRnW2m07hp7mtaFTGiDLnH-jGqODstbr5Chq_kHavGE2yjJU_QAezUhwYz39zgngSRE/s640/blogger-image--546282150.jpg" /></a></div>
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Even though Halloween is only a couple weeks away, it will be Fall for a while still!</div>
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I plan on adding several more styles and colors....maybe even some turkeys and trees! You can follow my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/207704930/super-cute-pumpkin-coffee-cozy?ref=shop_home_active_1">Etsy</a> to see when they are added.</div>
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To share all this pumpkin cuteness a little quicker- I'm going to send one to one of my Etsy followers, one to a FB fan page for my Etsy shop, and one to a Pinner! Check out the Rafflecopter below to see how you can enter!</div>
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<a class="rafl" d9321e6954="" display="" href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" id="rc-d9321e6954" rafl="" www.rafflecopter.com="">http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9321e6954/</a></div>
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I'll announce the winners as soon as the contest ends!</div>
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So now this hasn't turned out to be such a bad thing that he had the remote all weekend!!</div>
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I can't wait to come back and announce the winners! </div>
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Have a Terrific Tuesday!</div>
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-16019739457568763172014-10-17T00:39:00.001-05:002014-10-17T00:39:22.517-05:00Interview with A Squirrel<div style="text-align: left;">
This evening finds the Squirrel household in the middle of Fall Break.</div>
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Do you get a "Fall Break"? I know there are a lot of schools that are out just for the Columbus three day weekend.</div>
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Not us- they give us a whole week.</div>
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That is one weekend + a school week + another weekend = 9 days.</div>
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Nine days that we are home together. </div>
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This time last year, I was singing the praises of this break. I couldn't wait to have the time off after the nine weeks to recuperate. And the Littles were uber excited, too.</div>
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This year has proved to be the same- for them. They could not wait to get off the bus Friday so they could have these nine days to sleep in, stay up late, and hang out. And they have done exactly that. </div>
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They sleep pretty late. They stay up <strike>way too</strike> late. (And I am also up late- so that is some super quality time that we are having together (insert sarcastic face here)). And they are hanging out. At home. In the house. </div>
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It is chilly and drizzlely and cloudy and drab. So no one comes to the door to invite them to go OUTSIDE and play. Boo. I mean, I am all about friendship and bonding time. And I am sorry that they are not getting it because of this wretched weather on this nine day break that we are having together. </div>
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Do you see where this is going? I'll just end that with, It's been a long break so far. </div>
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I have made use of this time at home looking around online for jobs that are available in my area. I have gotten my resume all pretty and professional. I've even uploaded it to a few openings. I even got a "first round interview" for a state job that looked pretty good.</div>
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Have you looked for a job lately? Whether it's a teaching or non teaching position? Have you put yourself out there? It has been a long time since I have - and it is a little different.</div>
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For example, this "first round interview" that I speak of is what they call it. What it really is though is a list of 20 questions that enable you to shoot yourself in the foot and disqualify yourself from the position immediately so that they don't have to meet with you.</div>
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Some of them were your run of the mill things I remember hearing while sitting across from a real live person a million years ago like "What do you think your best quality is ?"</div>
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I thought that was easy enough. </div>
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I am a brutally honest person. (I left out brutally). But that's a pretty good quality to have in an employee, right? I threw in few other descriptors so that it sounded cool.</div>
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And then I was stopped in my tracks by some of these other questions.</div>
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What type of supervision do you like? What frustrates you most with a supervisor ? How do you handle it? What type of person is the hardest to work with? Why do you think that is? How do you stay organized? How do you feel about deadlines? What is your working style? And then the dreaded- What do you consider to be your two biggest weaknesses?</div>
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What the what?</div>
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Let's take this from the top.</div>
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What type of supervision do you like? </div>
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Well, honestly, (I already said that I was honest) I kind of like to be unsupervised. And is it really going to matter? If I say I don't like them, will they go away?</div>
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What frustrates you the most with a supervisor? </div>
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Um, the part where they are supervising me- we established that, right? I mean, tell me what you want me to do, then let me be and if I do it- we'll be happy together. </div>
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What type of person is the hardest to work with? </div>
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The one that's always hanging around- you know, the supervisor guy.</div>
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Why do you think that is?</div>
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Cause he's creeping me out.</div>
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How do you stay organized?</div>
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Depends, what am I organizing? Seriously, are we talking writing down appointments, or am I sorting beads? Am I taking notes? Writing a grocery list? Or organizing my thoughts? Cause I can write a hell of grocery list- the kind that takes The Mr. down every single aisle and the items seem to fall into the cart because I have organized this list so flawlessly. On the flipside, I can forget what I am saying 12 times in the same dinner conversation because there a million thoughts in my head and I cannot express one coherently.</div>
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How do you feel about deadlines?</div>
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Well I'd rather they not be so concrete. I like a little leeway in my deadline. I like terms like "around 12:00" and "near the 16th" and "some time tomorrow". Those are all perfectly good deadlines.</div>
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What is your working style?</div>
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Um, I'd say I am "Glitzy Transitional". I figure it's MY style and I can call it what I want.</div>
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And then comes the question that ensures you will receive the "While we thank you for your application....." email....</div>
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Your weaknesses. </div>
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I HATE this part! I have always hated it! </div>
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It never fails that I would sit across from admin during an eval and throw myself under the bus! </div>
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"What do you think your weakness was for this lesson?"</div>
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And then I would INEVITABLY say something that she hadn't noticed!!! (Way to go, Squirrels!)</div>
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It's the worst to have to think of things that are wrong with you and then tell them to other people who do not know you. </div>
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I should have put something like "I have a need to become closely attached to my supervisor". Maybe that would help me out in that department. Because no one is going to write "I have a tendency to be late three or four times a week and I like to steal post it notes for my collection in my junk drawer at home." Ugh. </div>
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I am very curious to see what the "second round interview" is like. Will I have to get out of my "kajamas" for it? That would be pretty sweet if I didn't. I also can't wait to find out how many rounds there are! And is there a bonus round? A speed round? If so I will just yell BIG MONEY! NO WHAMMIES!!! That should make me a shoe in, huh?</div>
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Who knows? It's a crap shoot. </div>
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We'll see what they all say when they write me back and thank me for being so honest!</div>
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Well it's time to start thinking about how the Squirrels are going to spend DAY SEVEN of our WONDERFUL Fall Break together! Hope you have a great weekend coming up!! </div>
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-59072759501204633432014-10-14T17:48:00.001-05:002014-10-14T18:00:05.908-05:00A Squirrel-a-versarySo here it is - three years since my very first blog post! It doesn't seem like that long. <div>Maybe because my blog has been so dusty and neglected as of late. I totally blame social media ( blame shifter)- seriously! </div><div>I think of something and then BAM! I can post it on Instagram- or BOOM! I can put it on FB. And it's so quick and easy.</div><div>Technically, the blog is easy, too. It all comes from my phone. But my mind is more likely to throw out a random quick thought vs a long commentary. And for those of you who know me, quick and random are the way my brain usually works! </div><div><br></div><div>It has been an adventure of sorts being out of the classroom this year. It was a hard decision to make- but I'm very confident I did the right thing. I was reminded of just "how right" I was when I was putting away a few things in my room today and opened a drawer of my jewelry armoire. </div><div>What I saw was a little alarming. (Don't worry, it's not anything bad or inappropriate). I opened the drawer to put away a bracelet and here it was. Boom.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIyg8_BwhknEGKJYSYsVzIRn8xUlkFtQ07Cdwre7IcAaNt2HGpKt4LN0lXBT3u-9mFyCQkncw6RaY13eriD4qAE-fYbZr2ECcQ_VuYR2XAAgS_ZBjbc9bctA4lDp0KsxFayiiXIiZBU/s640/blogger-image-671508459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIyg8_BwhknEGKJYSYsVzIRn8xUlkFtQ07Cdwre7IcAaNt2HGpKt4LN0lXBT3u-9mFyCQkncw6RaY13eriD4qAE-fYbZr2ECcQ_VuYR2XAAgS_ZBjbc9bctA4lDp0KsxFayiiXIiZBU/s640/blogger-image-671508459.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My One Little Word card that I made three years ago when I did the OLW project with my first grade class. I made each person, including myself, a card to carry to remind us of the word we chose. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The word we chose that would make a change in our lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My word was Prioritize. It was my goal to change some things in my personal and professional life to ensure that I was putting all the right people and projects first.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Just sitting down and making that list back then was such an eye opener! I "let go" of sooooo much drama! I realized that much of the hard work I was doing was SELF INDUCED! While there is definitely a set of standards I was expected to meet- I was piling on even more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So I fixed it back then.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I made changes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I left bags of school work AT SCHOOL. And I opened my eyes and realized that what I sometimes thought was my worst, was someone else's best- and that was ok! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was (and still am) happier for taking a breath and working through all of that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My OLW card popped up a year later when I switched purses. And then again on the dryer one time. Once I found it in the junk drawer in the kitchen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm glad it doesn't have a "formal home". If it did, then I wouldn't get these great reminders every once in a while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So much has changed in the last few years. And I can attribute that to prioritizing AND to that sweet reminder charm that was under my card- </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17mrqARohnU30x4-8vSlRFUuNVYL_Y9g9SjTogaS6L0uFsnsnMaxKS3yvh6y9UdiU5u5CSxdYJHYUv8OM927FR59Q8KUxZ9DkZEeRvOrcxh9DUgLDdyqPiX5Zibx3k1k5GAddeF5K_ys/s640/blogger-image-1398655463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17mrqARohnU30x4-8vSlRFUuNVYL_Y9g9SjTogaS6L0uFsnsnMaxKS3yvh6y9UdiU5u5CSxdYJHYUv8OM927FR59Q8KUxZ9DkZEeRvOrcxh9DUgLDdyqPiX5Zibx3k1k5GAddeF5K_ys/s640/blogger-image-1398655463.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">HA HA!!! Gotta love a squirrel! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm sure I said it at the one year mark and then again at the second- this little blog had made such a change in my life! I've learned so much from so many and have made some lifelong friends! Love you ladies!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hope this day finds you right where you want to be, my friends!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div>Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-34753874880417480312014-08-13T22:12:00.002-05:002014-08-13T22:45:52.763-05:00WTH Wednesday or Save the Hot Pocket!!!Yep- WTH Wednesday!<br />
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(Most of the events in this post actually took place on a Tuesday- but I was too tired and too busy to get on here!) So I am declaring this a WTH Wednesday post! </div>
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I have been watching all the posts on {insert social media name here} about going back to school and I love it! I love seeing all the rooms and decor! And I love seeing how excited everyone is to go back. I have been in a few rooms that look like they are straight off of Pinterest and one that could have been on a iFunny. Yikes.<br />
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Needless to say we are in full swing here at the Squirrels household! </div>
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With my schedule being very different this year, I have had to set new and more stringent guidelines for getting out of the house in the morning.</div>
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WTH? </div>
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WHY, WHY, WHY is it so hard to get them to understand that they have to move at a reasonable pace?</div>
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Why the heck are there fifty-eleven alarms set? For three people?? </div>
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The halls start sounding like some jerk set every alarm at Radio Shack 1 minute apart around 5:30am! There are iphone alarms, iPad alarms, iPod alarms, oh- and a few ALARM CLOCK alarms, too! </div>
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Hopefully the routine will set in quickly.<br />
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I've got the Littlest Little showing me what he is going to wear the night before so that I can be sure they are at least clothes that are suitable for outside wear.</div>
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I've had him place his "Deo for the B.O." next to his toothbrush-<br />
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"Dear Lord, please make sure he remembers to brush each day. And if not <em>everyday</em>, then at least M-F, cause I used to work at his school and I don't want people talking about my smelly kid with the butter teeth.</div>
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Amen."</div>
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We are all walking out the door right at the same time most mornings. I have told them that there is absolutely NO FIGHTING in the a.m.!! They can pummel the crap out of each other when they get off the bus, but if any one of them makes us late in the morning, they are ALL grounded! So they need to form a bond. Quickly.</div>
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I guess I shouldn't give so much leniency for after school- for it is in the mere minutes of After School Bliss that the story I am about to share takes place. (Also the inspiration for bringing back my WTH Wednesday)! </div>
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I was at a high school yesterday, so I was home fairly early. I got here right before they got off of the bus. So I did the obligatory "How was your day? Let me see your planner spiel" with all of them. (When it's time for stuff like that, it feels like I have 37 Littles and not just 3!)<br />
It's right around this time that they all start squawking like little birds that they are starving. All of them choose something different, of course, and that is when I inform them that they are all on their own.<br />
I'm chatting it up at the table with the boys and Chickadee (who at this point has made her after school snack - a hot pocket- and then retreated to her den) comes up to get something to drink. We are all laughing and joking around- being silly- (imagine that) when she takes off through the living room and down the hall. <br />
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(Insert slow motion footage)<br />
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There was a laugh, a screech, and then a THUD!<br />
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The laugh was when she realized that our sweet little Barkley might be in her room enjoying her hot pocket that she left unattended to come get her drink.<br />
The screech was the noise she made when she tripped WHILE RUNNING down the hall. Her speed was too great and she was not able to stop as she rounded the corner- so she stopped herself with her body.<br />
That was the "Thud".<br />
Her hand slammed into the corner of the wall.<br />
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(Resume regular speed).<br />
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So this is where we are now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSIRRnp9JU7nVBWkAD-WVu-yoRB1Z_lB6foig7BgYza37s_YWlNYpOrsffvEuAYKKk_vOZl2lDn77705sjQUvcJN27NZft98S39hsSyJlYCzFmMx7kXgBSyo8M-sWmZ-_1ffox1vLWJk/s640/blogger-image--1682183803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBSIRRnp9JU7nVBWkAD-WVu-yoRB1Z_lB6foig7BgYza37s_YWlNYpOrsffvEuAYKKk_vOZl2lDn77705sjQUvcJN27NZft98S39hsSyJlYCzFmMx7kXgBSyo8M-sWmZ-_1ffox1vLWJk/s640/blogger-image--1682183803.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, that's right, Chickadee, look away. Look away.</td></tr>
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Yep. One Urgent Care Clinic visit, a few xrays, and a thumb splint later, this is where we are. <br />
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WTH?! Have I not been telling you for the last 17 years to NOT run in the house? Has this not ALWAYS been a rule? And why would you leave your hot pocket on your bed?? That makes it fair game for Barkley! <br />
We are in the little room at the Dr.'s office and here my beautiful, seemingly intelligent daughter is telling the Dr that she thinks she broke her hand.<br />
"How did it happen?" (I always hate it when they talk directly to the kids- I am always afraid they are going to say some "buzz word" that will trigger the Dr. to push a panic button and send in the DHS SWAT)!<br />
But I dodged that scenario when my ding dong doodle daddy of a daughter replied:<br />
"I was trying to save my hot pocket."<br />
<br />
The good news is - no fractures. We go BACK to the Dr on Friday. They think she may have torn ligaments. I don't even know what that means. One of my friends said it might involve physical therapy for rehab. ?!?!?!?! <br />
Are you kidding me?<br />
Because of a hot pocket?<br />
<br />
I told her I was going to make a poster that said NO RUNNING and put her on it then tack it to the end of the hall. Who would have thought that I was still going to have to remind them all of that rule this far into the game?<br />
<br />
I think we must all take a moment to acknowledge that, while it was originally thought that this guy was a Guilty Gus and up to no good with his hot pocket thievery antics, he was in no way charged with any crime in this matter. He continues to roam freely through the bedrooms, scavenging for hot pocket crumbs.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HGkhSiO8Ok6C6ddJ-qVIw8wbxuwZmIERDWe5fOpQBr18omazOXYgnCDMB8sjNqn1i3Z5CmpDddm60zERfpXIR53oKCm6tANf9vtz4Ye0b3uy1a8nkO__NlXXB1FJ9EEFoz64JLtnDYs/s640/blogger-image--673240843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HGkhSiO8Ok6C6ddJ-qVIw8wbxuwZmIERDWe5fOpQBr18omazOXYgnCDMB8sjNqn1i3Z5CmpDddm60zERfpXIR53oKCm6tANf9vtz4Ye0b3uy1a8nkO__NlXXB1FJ9EEFoz64JLtnDYs/s640/blogger-image--673240843.jpg" /></a></div>
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{No hot pockets were harmed in the making of this post.}</div>
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Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5531423852894623808.post-21634758035451052102014-08-10T08:00:00.000-05:002016-02-17T17:52:22.176-06:00Ready or Not BTS Blog Hop<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQaj36S3a3pV76d9H5HHWRLbPEstMXRFlNZgBvlGBx3IAPHTLUvsuyyE9bAIL5828jYkusyXaNgTgk0JXgfa_zsjBlEhI4ksoUPuRMlFhRSi7WUhB4T0hWmfEf_4UDny7MfqjxoccVeY/s640/blogger-image-1481669257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQaj36S3a3pV76d9H5HHWRLbPEstMXRFlNZgBvlGBx3IAPHTLUvsuyyE9bAIL5828jYkusyXaNgTgk0JXgfa_zsjBlEhI4ksoUPuRMlFhRSi7WUhB4T0hWmfEf_4UDny7MfqjxoccVeY/s320/blogger-image-1481669257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Good Morning and welcome- It's my turn to share something great for our<br />
It's time for Back to School Blog Hop.<br />
I went back and forth about what I should share.<br />
And I decided to share something that worked like a DREAM for the last two years I was in first grade.<br />
It was when I made the choice to go to <strong>COMMUNITY SUPPLIES</strong>. Just the mention of it used to make me worry what the kiddos would say and the fit the parents would throw because "Those were mine!" .....but I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find that with some great organization and a fool-proof routine, they would catch on to this system quickly!<br />
Below are the pictures from when I made that transition, along with some excerpts from the blog post that shared this wonderful way of keeping up with supplies!<br />
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</div>I do not have the tables I wanted, so I used my desks to make "tables".<br />
<br />
They are in groups of 5.<br />
There are 4 "tables" so far this year.<br />
They use these table #s for various things, I will share those.<br />
<br />
At each table there is an A,B, C, D, E. <br />
It is on your nametag to help you remember.<br />
I might say "I need the Es to go get your table bin".<br />
<br />
So the Es would go get the bin (only four people up). <br />
<br />
Let's pretend we are coloring something.<br />
<br />
I keep the crayons in these little travel soap containers. They fit perfectly. They will actually hold all 24, but I take out all but the main 12.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09YnlwFTP1gUowUsU7bTd24YKxy81q8T4bxblhTxBJXjdFTVHcQNq4ZVf8zfwyEc5ZrDFtTe-vjC8n7Y5Lwr7rUxGLswP-2kO8mmpFfO8tl-taKnqWh5pWfFfhXBS3xXVYbj6hlQ3DQs/s640/blogger-image-350293865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09YnlwFTP1gUowUsU7bTd24YKxy81q8T4bxblhTxBJXjdFTVHcQNq4ZVf8zfwyEc5ZrDFtTe-vjC8n7Y5Lwr7rUxGLswP-2kO8mmpFfO8tl-taKnqWh5pWfFfhXBS3xXVYbj6hlQ3DQs/s320/blogger-image-350293865.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The red violets, blue greens, and dandelions are saved for other projects.<br />
<br />
Those little "crayon boxes" live in a table bin.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYd32jm7zjrmTXPUSMSCCU1Kn6DsMn2mPE8aY2zwtK7cTv5AWpFn42mvKMCLxZERq1rODLI7Kx_lO5STiwJbRnDrdk3teLBgANB2K2vuK6td1RdpT69wLWJpmEfzYcD-Tp3aq-2WjM6M/s640/blogger-image--1388868076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYd32jm7zjrmTXPUSMSCCU1Kn6DsMn2mPE8aY2zwtK7cTv5AWpFn42mvKMCLxZERq1rODLI7Kx_lO5STiwJbRnDrdk3teLBgANB2K2vuK6td1RdpT69wLWJpmEfzYcD-Tp3aq-2WjM6M/s320/blogger-image--1388868076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>The table bins live on a cart.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Bq6b_fPCECVFYUi641ifb9BxHLLTFXByCOP8E4BejN7vejKnFHbbVJZSIbHiYtvAh3pBWYdTTarJquUPMcC2_fShN8pfSUhqaORIt2cSvLeoxk99zPqPp0u3pqaCz0wZaCtas7prlWM/s640/blogger-image-1787745324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Bq6b_fPCECVFYUi641ifb9BxHLLTFXByCOP8E4BejN7vejKnFHbbVJZSIbHiYtvAh3pBWYdTTarJquUPMcC2_fShN8pfSUhqaORIt2cSvLeoxk99zPqPp0u3pqaCz0wZaCtas7prlWM/s320/blogger-image-1787745324.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
So now we will pretend that the Es have gotten the bins and taken them to the table.<br />
Whoever takes it to the table, passes them out.<br />
I might call the Ds to put them away. (again, only four people are up).<br />
If you are the person putting them away, you make sure you get one from everybody at your table.<br />
5 friends. 5 boxes.<br />
<br />
What if someone is missing a color?<br />
They can go to the crayons and get the color they need to put inside of the little box.<br />
I painted them, but am not loving them, because they are too "yellowy". <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SFKBmET91jg2kYK8ZHiRFnmQTPR_NDDchnzPLDoprIy-_hqt29AOzUpluClwkbLmOLbt89dIttqinM4y_I26UOOKJmqqXmA1iGwvsaD1KQEGP5iJcPL5fYceHdtfTVdIJ6xxnmK6i5c/s640/blogger-image--1963653666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SFKBmET91jg2kYK8ZHiRFnmQTPR_NDDchnzPLDoprIy-_hqt29AOzUpluClwkbLmOLbt89dIttqinM4y_I26UOOKJmqqXmA1iGwvsaD1KQEGP5iJcPL5fYceHdtfTVdIJ6xxnmK6i5c/s320/blogger-image--1963653666.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9C9X-fuVPjkHyqKFs4jyp3Jz9Y5F7MZ8RdT7kFekNB2qFcZpfgfX453c9p8nLYfRIuOKFamGBggNLnaOMWc02N0zFgk5qjpl58DQJX0wF3kfq9LMTSWXa9AssmaZvZGxNwRKwoYa1Fc/s640/blogger-image--1427246700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9C9X-fuVPjkHyqKFs4jyp3Jz9Y5F7MZ8RdT7kFekNB2qFcZpfgfX453c9p8nLYfRIuOKFamGBggNLnaOMWc02N0zFgk5qjpl58DQJX0wF3kfq9LMTSWXa9AssmaZvZGxNwRKwoYa1Fc/s320/blogger-image--1427246700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Notice how two very distinct colors live in the same drawer.<br />
Also if you find a crayon on the floor, you can just put it in the correct drawer.<br />
<br />
Now let's pretend we are working on something that needs scissors.<br />
I have learned my lesson.<br />
Scissors used to live at their desks (first 5.5 years of teaching).<br />
<br />
I can't take it anymore.<br />
The cutting of the clothes. The hair. The paper that WASN'T supposed to be cut.<br />
Not to mention my aversion to metal- I can't handle that noise when they<br />
open/close<br />
open/close<br />
open....AGHHHHH!<br />
<br />
So the scissors live in a separate bin.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGF0VVecquToZM_R8q6DCBntHJ5WqKWV-YoV9n4gKX_qPH9wFk_Qw3IH6kMudE-lGOf44A4_-zsfn9RhTPd-nnLHXu4cEuxC5fnkc5vfVGUOHBatt5xmCfYTBlTFwo5_bX_e1NewZppM/s640/blogger-image-643072697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGF0VVecquToZM_R8q6DCBntHJ5WqKWV-YoV9n4gKX_qPH9wFk_Qw3IH6kMudE-lGOf44A4_-zsfn9RhTPd-nnLHXu4cEuxC5fnkc5vfVGUOHBatt5xmCfYTBlTFwo5_bX_e1NewZppM/s320/blogger-image-643072697.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>They are in the four little bins on top of the shelf. Each contains the # of scissors to match the # at the table.<br />
If what we are working on needs scissors, I will put that little bin in the table bin before we start.<br />
That way when the Ds come get their bin, they have what they need.<br />
The same with glue. It isn't in the bin, unless we are going to use it.<br />
<br />
What about pencils?<br />
We can't be up ALL the time taking pencils and putting them back!<br />
<br />
Pencils live........ <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7Yj3StnwQM80bd98xaFfzzphEf1tT4ByDQw5Mx5Kgn8-Khh76GQoanYdrPyGFZMBX0sWD41AsG90-5pyqROhGCu6_y4wisnU3PXDjJMIykk5qSYqGp9iABe7a5nwGRAuy5AQ4LfFKUs/s640/blogger-image-1082668539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7Yj3StnwQM80bd98xaFfzzphEf1tT4ByDQw5Mx5Kgn8-Khh76GQoanYdrPyGFZMBX0sWD41AsG90-5pyqROhGCu6_y4wisnU3PXDjJMIykk5qSYqGp9iABe7a5nwGRAuy5AQ4LfFKUs/s320/blogger-image-1082668539.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br />
in the CUPS! See the cups? Cups are good.<br />
There are only three things that can be in your cup.<br />
A pencil.<br />
A dry erase marker.<br />
The coins from behavior system (that's another post).<br />
<br />
What about keeping that cup from falling off?<br />
INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH VELCRO!<br />
<br />
The cups take up a tiny little space. Pencils don't roll off onto the floor.<br />
NO ONE has to "dig" in a pencil box to find anything.<br />
<br />
We only use yellow pencils- because they are community.<br />
See how nicely they stick up out of the cup?<br />
At the end of our day a friend just takes 'em right out, puts them in the<br />
please sharpen me can, and then another friend puts one sharpened pencil in the cups<br />
each morning. If you need a new one during the day, you just trade out at the cans.<br />
<br />
This is how nice it looked while they were at lunch.<br />
When we are finished, someone from that table will put all those boxes in the table bin and then the table bin will go back to the cart.<br />
And all will be right with the world. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-vMNSlnU7GvgGont23ife36FOhw_C6Nu0wuugPfnLmeU9YOHBnhSXoTj6wyMuiVHYgL_eXWsqGW0EFWUqj0EystRkz0hT_g3V8JTeFoYta5Tqus-ZTQy9x9na1Jh7ayN8ecMx5_suO0/s1600/photo%252831%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-vMNSlnU7GvgGont23ife36FOhw_C6Nu0wuugPfnLmeU9YOHBnhSXoTj6wyMuiVHYgL_eXWsqGW0EFWUqj0EystRkz0hT_g3V8JTeFoYta5Tqus-ZTQy9x9na1Jh7ayN8ecMx5_suO0/s1600/photo%252831%2529.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whooo is coloring so nicely???</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
A few questions I have gotten from fellow teachers<br />
<br />
What about the pencil boxes they brought in?<br />
Those are in the closet with a set of markers in them.<br />
We do not use them that often, so they don't need to be in the way.<br />
.<br />
What about the books and notebooks?<br />
Notebooks are in a literature stacker (which I am considering a bin for each table)<br />
Books live in cubbies when not being used.<br />
<br />
What if they need supplies for a center?<br />
If crayons, scissors, or glue is needed for any activity- it will be in the center box.<br />
<br />
So, now you all think I am this crazy Hitler Teacher who doesn't let anyone use anything EVER.<br />
I promise I am tons of fun- we do a lot of fun things- I promise:) <br />
<br />
I have just based this system on my previous experiences.<br />
They cannot interrupt your instruction with noise from supplies that are not in their hands. (They will find other ways to do it, but now they must get creative) :)<br />
The less distraction, the better.<br />
They all have to take ownership of our room. We want our room to reflect the type of students we are:<br />
Neat<br />
Careful<br />
Organized<br />
<br />
It really did work so well- and it did away with all the distractions that came from things being in front of them all the time. When I taught K, I tried right away to do community supplies, but it all just ended up being a bunch of broken crayons in a crappy caddy in the middle of the table! It only took me 6 years to get it all together!<br />
<br />
Hope you have found lots of great ideas and freebies to help you on your Back to School Adventure!<br />
<br />
<br />
Your next stop will be with Jennifer from The Teacher's Open House- Click on her Button below to head over and see what she has for you!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://teachersopenhouse.blogspot.com/"><img alt="http://teachersopenhouse.blogspot.com/" border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97s5RQLQMshPGE_a74kVE71HajzANUsEmuL6HEIHVa3s-o5qWJ7SFFaqisRcD1r2gReX4NDfPQ51hfNGmcQ_EbTTh-NdzhsLWCh1hlDmnD4zAdmC_7V2B1z_9iK4QMqbtAGfXZ_HYIY8/s200/blogger-image--403586731.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Miss Squirrelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08954539437325236574noreply@blogger.com9