A date can be romantic, fun, and refreshing. It provides a time to focus on the two of you as a couple, your dreams, your goals, your relationship.
When all of the demands of life and kids are removed, though, sometimes we can find ourselves at a sudden loss for conversation topics. What do you talk about other than kids and work?? Here is a fun way to get the conversation rolling.
Take turns asking each other random questions. What is one place you would like to work if qualifications weren’t an issue? What is one book you want to read this year? What is your favorite outfit that I wear? Where is one place in the world that you want to visit? Tell me one thing I did this last week that made you feel really loved? What character trait do you most want to be known for? No topic is off limits. The only rule is that you cannot reask a question that you have been asked.
Conversations don’t have to be deep to be significant. By asking simple questions like these, you will be amazed at how much you learn about your spouse of so many years…and how much you laugh.
Our lives are made up of happenings, big and small. Event the smallest events can be significant and defining.
Many events have some sort of token associated with them: bulletins, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, pictures, keys, a lock of baby’s hair, a hospital band, or a small piece of brick from the new house you built. These small tokens can hold big memories.
Designate a special box to hold these little treasures from the life of your family. At the end of the year, make it a special family event to go through your little Treasure Box and relive some of the defining moments of your year. What events were significant to your family? Where were your happiest memories? What tokens do you hope to be adding next year?
There is magic in the Treasure Box. It can turn simple tokens into priceless treasures.
Tip - At the end of the year, transfer your year’s treasures into a year-labeled box (see box system) and repeat.
My grandmother used to play a game with me that she called “Hide the Thimble”. The concept was simple - she took a thimble from her sewing desk and hid it in a specified room. The kids were then sent on the mission to find it.
Not being much of a seamstress myself, I don’t have a thimble in my house, but I play this game with my kids using other small objects. The kids pick a small toy or trinket from around the house and we take turns hiding and finding it. It is a fun and simple game (requiring very little energy output from you!) that kids love.
Tip: Younger kids can play too! Simply pick a bigger object to hide!
After purchasing a new electronic, assembling a new piece of baby equipment, or installing a new appliance, you are usually left with an instruction manual. After it sits on the counter for a couple of months, it is tempting to throw it away, but it is risky. When you need an instruction manual, there isn’t an easy replacement.
As a part of your box system, designate a box for the sole purpose of storing instruction manuals. It removes the manuals from “clutter” status where they are likely to get lost, damaged, or thrown away and provides you with a predictable place to look if you should need it.
In an ideal world, I would use an all natural deodorant with no antiperspirant. I’m all too aware of the less-than-ideal ingredients in mainstream deodorants. But I will admit to you that I like to be dry and I like the extra-strength protection more. So it is one ideal that I have decided to let slide.
There is one simple thing you can do, though, to help reduce the amount of deodorant your body absorbs: wait for 10-15 minutes after you shower before applying your deodorant. The moisture and steam from the shower causes your pores to open, allowing them to easily absorb anything you apply to your skin. In contrast, pores close more tightly when your skin is dry and cool. So if natural deodorant isn’t your cup of tea, try making a simple adjustment to when you apply your deodorant. Maybe you don’t have to completely write off your ideal either.
I have tried a lot of chocolate cupcakes in my day, but this one hands-down, takes the cake. They are amazing. The assembly for any filled treat requires a bit of time and patience, but trust me when I say this recipe is worth it.
Chocolate Cream-Filled Cupcakes
Cupcakes
1 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c oil
1/2 c boiling water
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
Filling
3 T water
3/4 t unflavored gelatin
4 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1 1/4 c marshmallow cream
Glaze
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
1. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Whisk (boiling) water, cocoa, and chocolate chips in a separate bowl until smooth and the chocolate chips are melted. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture and blend.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the chocolate and egg mixture. Stir until moistened.
4. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and then remove from muffin cups. Cool completely.
5. Filling: Mix water and gelatin and let it stand for 5 minutes. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the gelatin dissolves. Add butter, vanilla and salt. Cool for about 5 minutes before mixing in the marshmallow cream. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Set aside 1/3 c. Put the rest of the filling into a pastry bag (or us a ziploc bag with a corner clipped off).
6. Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone shape out of the top of the cupcake, about 2 inches deep. Remove cone and cut off the tip (to create space for the filling). Fill the cupcake with about one tablespoon of the filling and then replace the circular top.
7. Glaze: Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl (30-60 seconds) and stir until smooth. Let the glaze cool (10-15 minutes) and then top each cupcake with about one tablespoon of the glaze. Let sit for 15 minutes and then use the remaining filling to pipe decorative curlicues across the top of the cupcakes.
I must have drooled over the idea of play silks for several years. I love the concept and the endless creative play possibilities that they offer. But the standard size silks (35″x35″) sell for $10-12/each, making a small set cost a small fortune. That didn’t even account for my dream of a bigger play silk collection that included multiple sizes.
I began to toy with the idea of dying my own silks after learning that a friend successfully did it, but she used real dye and I was intimidated by that. I like to keep my creative ventures simple….and clean. And then I discovered that you can dye silks with Kool-Aid! Not only was it cheaper, but it sounded fun! I mean, how many people can say that they have hand-dyed toys with Kool-Aid!? So, I ordered my silks and made some for Kaelynn’s Christmas present. It took a little bit of work (it took time more than anything) and mine have some imperfections, but my kids love them and I’m really pleased with the finished product. Here’s how I did it:
1. Order play silks in the sizes you want. I chose a half dozen 35″x35″ silks this time, but I have plans to expand our collection someday with various sizes. I bought mine from Dharma Trading Company for $3.75/each.
2. Bring a pot of water to boiling. Add a cup of vinegar and remove from heat. Soak all the silks for about an hour before dying.
3. Put on a pair of plastic gloves. Mix 3 cups of hot water, 1/2 c vinegar, and 2-3 packets of Kool-Aid (see the note at the bottom of post for a Kool-Aid color guide). Immerse a silk in the colored water and stir slightly until fully immersed. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and stir again. Cover and microwave for 3 more minutes. Repeat the cycle a third time.
(Note: If you increased the amount of water and vinegar and did the dying on a stove top instead of the microwave, stirring continually, you would probably end up with more solidly colored silks. Mine are slightly blotchy, but I kind of like them that way.)
4. Remove silk from the bowl and rinse with soap and water until the water runs clear.
Keep dyed, wet silks separate until they are dry. They can bleed onto each other (voice of experience speaking).
5. Dry on low in the dryer. Iron.
Kool-Aid Flavor/Color Guide:
Red - Strawberry, Cherry, or Black Cherry (Note: I wanted more of a salmon/dark pink color, so I just used two packages of Strawberry. A combination of Cherry and Black Cherry will get you the truest red.
Orange - Orange
Yellow - Lemonade (Note: I used two packets of Lemonade plus a few drops of yellow food coloring to achieve a slightly darker yellow.)
Green - Lemon-Lime
Blue - Blue Raspberry
Purple - Grape (Note - I only used two packets.)
Pink - Pink Lemonade (not pictured)
I am famous for my laundry ruts. I do several loads of laundry one day and never complete the process. The clothes are cleaned, but they remain in laundry baskets for several days until I need the baskets to run new loads of laundry. The clean laundry then gets carelessly dumped on the bedroom floor. At some point that day, knowing that more loads of laundry are on the way, I might finally work on putting away the clean clothes from several days ago. Consequently, I become sick of folding laundry long before the new loads are dry. The vicious cycle repeats.
In response to my frustration over this major household management weakness, I recently imposed a new rule upon myself. Imagine my surprise when it truly worked!! But would it stand test time of time? Weeks later, there are still no piles of laundry on my bedroom floor.That, my friends, is a victory.
The rule is simple: Do not start a second load of laundry until the first load is washed and put away.
It sounds almost too simplistic to be revolutionary, but it works. I can complete one load of laundry. I might procrastinate on two loads, but one load can be completed quickly. It is manageable! We tend to work on chores and projects that we know we can successfully complete and having that small victory is both motivating and energizing. You will find that you actually accomplish more.
So the next time you find yourself in a laundry rut, try the One Load Rule and kiss those piles of wrinkled laundry goodbye.
When it comes to food, there are sale prices and then there are sale prices. If the item you are buying is less than 10% off, then it is probably a phantom sale and not worth stocking-up on. But when an item really goes on sale, how much should you buy? You don’t want to break your pantry shelves, but you also don’t want to run out before the next good sale. It is hard to make that call when you don’t know when it will be on sale again…or do you?
As it turns out, stores generally run on 12 week sale cycles and coupons follow a similar pattern. Your best deals are going to be found when you save your coupons to match those great, rock-bottom sale prices. But even if you aren’t a coupon clipper, just watch the sales and transition to making the bulk of your purchases based on the 12 week cycle. You will save a ton of money and can make a calculated decision on quantity based on the 12-week rule-of-thumb.
Note - There are always exceptions to rule. Start observing the sales at your store and you will soon see patterns emerge.
Taking vitamins and supplements on a routine basis is a challenge to keep up with, especially when you are orchestrating it for the entire family. The key is to keep the process as intuitive as possible. Simple decluttering and organization is the first step. Spend a few minutes this week cleaning out your medicine cabinet. Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Get rid of expired medications and supplements.
2. Discard items that you no longer use.
3. Separate medications from nutritional supplements.
4. Further divide into adults’ and children’s groups.
5. Store your regularly used supplements at the front of the cabinet where they can be easily accessed.
