Packing for vacation with kids

In a couple short weeks, I'm going to be on my own for the first time in nearly 5 years. Doug and Phee are flying out to see his parents for a week. Phee is beside herself with excitement. She gets to spend a couple days with Nana and Gramp all by herself. There will be apple pie baking, star gazing, possibly a camp out in the back yard, and maybe even a trip to a family farm. I'm sure Nana has come up with an even longer list than that, too!

I don't quite know what I'm going to do with myself. Phee asked what I was going to do while they were gone.
"Sleep a whole lot."
"Sleep? Why are you going to sleep so much momma?"
"Because I've been tired for about 5 years."
Which she thought was a pretty funny answer.

I know for sure I will wander around the first night in the quiet house. Like Doug did the last time we were gone, I'm sure I'll just close Phee's bedroom door so I'm not going in every thirty minutes anyway.

It's hard not to be just as excited as she is, though. She can't wait to go. Phee loves to travel, especially to fly. She and Doug haven't had one of these huge adventures themselves yet. The solo parent traveling is always me. Over the weekend, Phee was already talking about making a list of what she wants to pack. She wants to write it all down so she can cross if off, "just like your grocery list momma."

Let me give you a great tip for vacation packing with kids: laundry baskets. When it was just me and Doug, we'd lay everything out on the bed, then pack it up. Now that there are three of us and we're generally packing at different times, laundry baskets have become invaluable. Doug gets his stuff out and once he's all set, he piles it into an empty laundry basket. I do the same for Phee's clothes and extras. Once it's in the basket, it doesn't come back out. It goes right into the suitcase and we're done.

This tip has saved us a lot of time and made packing such a smooth process. I highly recommend giving it a try!

What great tips do you have for traveling with kids?

Kitchen paperwork organization

This post contains Amazon Associate links.

Papers in the kitchen. Papers on the bar. Papers on the table. And I bring home more every day. Mail, info from school, menus stuck in our door. The paper trail never ends!

On top of all the stuff that accumulates, there's the important stuff that we actually need: doctor and medicine info, babysitter info sheet, school handbook. Y'know, the stuff you might need twice a year, but inevitably can't find at the right time.

I've tried different systems for keeping our bills, receipts, and filing in order. But this extra stuff was always just getting shuffled around. It didn't seem to have a place.

Now, I don't know about you, but I tend to stick important stuff on the fridge. Phee's artwork, sure, but also her weekly menu and monthly school calendar. If you want to order out, you're probably hanging out in the kitchen. Sick kid? We're usually pacing around the kitchen with a sick kid trying to get a hold of the doctor's office. So, all those odds and ends would be most useful close at hand in the kitchen.

These wonderful magnetic pockets have been invaluable. I have two or three folders in each one, with all the papers separated and organized. Take out menus, doctor and medical info, school info, etc. It's perfect! We can grab a folder, get what we need, then put it right back.

I've seen friends use magnetic whiteboard calendars and these pockets to create a great little family station in the kitchen. One pocket for each family member, one color folder for each person, or something similar. We don't need quite that level of organization with just three of us, but magnetic is certainly the way to go. These pockets are especially strong- the entire back is a large magnet, it's not just two or three strips. I've never once had a problem with the slipping down the side of the fridge or falling off.

They work like a charm and I highly recommend them for keeping your important papers handy.

Where do you keep all the necessary odds and ends so everyone can find them?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Come find Life in Random Bits on Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Save on natural & organic groceries!

After we settled in Austin, we were thrilled to find that the farmers' markets are year round. A big improvement over the sporadic farm stands and small markets in New Hampshire and Ohio. Our schedules don't always leave us time to get to the market, but it's really nice to know that there are several throughout the week we can try to get to.

Eventually we discovered Wheatsville, a fantastic co-op grocery store. Our grocery trips here were sporadic at first. But, as we started to change the way we were eating and we began to focus more on local, organic, and natural, Wheatsville became our primary grocery store and we became members.

Yes, things are pricier at the co-op sometimes. But we get a lot of fresh, in season, local produce and that's our favorite feature. There are quarterly member specials, lots of good coupons and deals every week, and buying in season is always cheaper.

I've found several sources of natural and organic coupons over the last year or so. When we originally started shopping organic, there weren't a lot of coupons to be found. Now, I can find many for products we normally buy, especially things that Phee really loves.

These are great resources and have definitely helped our grocery budget. You may find duplicates if you visit all of these sites every week. For example, Greenbacks Gal lists all sorts of coupons which then link to the actual coupon site, such as Common Kindness. If you use these regularly, you'll start to recognize which coupons you've already seen and which ones are likely duplicates and you can save yourself the extra time trying to get them to print!

Natural & Organic Coupon Resources
Mambo Sprouts
Mambo Sprouts is a great resource for info on natural and organic products. They have a blog, samples, and coupons available in several ways. Best of all, they have printable coupons.
 
The Greenbacks Gal
Andrea at Greenbacks Gal is all about saving on organic products. She has recipes, daily deals on all kinds of healthy lifestyle items, and links to printable natural and organic coupons.

Coupons.com
Surprisingly, Coupons.com often has printable coupons for healthy and beauty products we use and some organic foods. I didn't expect this when I first started perusing their coupons.

Common Kindness
Common Kindness is a great resource. Not only do they have their own coupon gallery, they also have Smart Source, Redplum, and other galleries as well. The Common Kindness gallery has the most organic and natural printable coupons, but you can find other useful coupons, such as batteries or allergy medicine, in the other galleries too.

Another great feature? You can register and choose a charity to benefit from your printing and saving!

Money Saving Mom
This site is full of all sorts of deals on ebooks, magazines, groceries, drug store items, and more. There are recipes, projects, and all sorts of info geared toward saving money. Each week, there is a Natural & Organic Coupons & Deals post. Much of the information comes from Greenbacks Gal, but if you follow the site, you can often find deals and coupons for other things throughout the week. I've been clued in to some great sales and deals at Target and Amazon by following Money Saving Mom.

Lozo
Lozo is new to me. I've only tried it a couple times, but you can enter in the products you're shopping for and then the site searches the internet for available printable coupons for those products. You can also sign up for coupon alerts. The first time I tried it, I did find a couple useful coupons. I'll definitely be testing it again.
 

Checkout51
I love this app. This isn't coupons, it's money back on specific products. After you shop, you upload a photo of your receipt, choose the offers you're redeeming, and once approved, the money appears in your Checkout51 account. Once you reach $20 you can request a check. Using this is a slow and steady race for us, but they have at least one fresh produce offer each week. While it might only be a $0.25, that quarter is better than nothing!

Sometimes, if you follow a particular brand on Facebook, they will have printable coupons on their page. I know Green & Black's chocolate has done that before. And Rudy's, too, I think. One other thing I've tried is contacting companies directly if I really like a product. Sometimes I get lucky and get coupons in the mail!

What resources have you found for saving on natural and organic products and produce?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Come find Life in Random Bits on Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Laundry organization

I like to think I'm a fairly organized person. At work, I'm very organized and everything is in its place if I'm in charge of it. At home... everything is usually organized. Or, I have some great ideas about organizing at least.

Doug and I cleaned out our closet a while ago. It has decent shelving, though not ideal. There's plenty of room for all our stuff which is the important part. Except the three compartment laundry cart that moved with us from the apartment never really fit.  We used it because there wasn't anything wrong with it, but it was constantly in the way.

Once it started to fall apart, I was thrilled to move it out.  So, when we cleaned out, we rearranged a little bit. My china is in the closet because I don't have another safe place to store it. That bin moved, I culled my unworn shoe collection and nearly never used bags that were piling up.

And then it was time to figure out the dirty laundry situation. After searching high and low for a decent hamper that would fit and match, I gave up. None of them were what I really wanted.

My solution? Laundry baskets. They fit perfectly side by side under Doug's hanging clothes. They tuck in and don't take up too much space. No one is tripping over them. It's useful, purposeful storage and organization.

Best of all? You know exactly when it's time to do laundry. With the old laundry sorter, you could jam a lot of clothes into each canvas compartment and suddenly you've got no clothes and too much for just one load of laundry.

With laundry baskets, you're all set. Basket is full? Time to do a load of laundry. It's perfect! We have a few extra baskets for when we've got a lot of towels or sheets to wash. Doug keeps one in his office to catch all the work clothes he ditches in there.

It's been a great space saver and has kept our laundry and closet much more organized. And that certainly makes me happy!

What laundry solution has worked best for you?

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Come find Life in Random Bits on Facebook and Pinterest for more fun!

Lunchtime pedicure

This post contains Amazon Associate links.

It's summer and that means cute sandals and cute flip flops. It should also mean bright, fun nail polish colors, but I can't ever seem to find the time to go get a manicure or pedicure. Actually, I've pretty much given up on manicures. I type all day in an office and can't stand to do it with really long nails, plus I'm not particularly careful. I love painting my toes, though. Especially since this is Texas and you can see my toes for about 10 months out of the year.

Really, though, who has time or energy to do their nails at night?! After I've chased Phee around for a few hours, done bath, bedtime, cleaning up and whatever else I need to do, chances are I'm too tired to stay up long enough to let nail polish thoroughly dry on my toes. And I hate taking the time to do my nails only to see them smudged and crazy in the morning.

I came up with an ingenious solution: lunchtime pedicures.

I've already got the routine down for soft summer feet. Now I've finally found the time to paint my nails, too! I bought some nail polish remover pads that aren't too stinky and I keep them in my desk drawer. I just bring my nail polish with me to work and do it all at lunch time.

Obviously, this really only works well if you can wear sandals or flip flops at work. And in the summer, unless you live in Texas and wear flip flops year round. It's especially perfect if you have your own office. No office? Hide out in a friend's office, the bathroom, or just go outside. 

I've found this to be a great trick because I'm generally not crawling around on the floor at work. Or chasing anyone, being climbed on, or curling up on a couch. My toenails have plenty of time to dry and I still get to use all my fun bright nail polish!

What beauty shortcuts do you have? I'm always looking for help in this department!

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Come find Life in Random Bits on Facebook and Pinterest! I'd love to have you join the fun!

Linked up at The Foley Fam.

3 steps for flip flop ready feet

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

I'm all about flip flops. For most of the year. It's one of the perks of living in Texas. The heat, not so much. But the ability to wear flip flops for at least 9 months of the year... yea, it's awesome.

But, with flip flops and barefoot days come cracked heels and rough skin. Not so awesome. I have terribly dry skin anyway so I had to come up with a fairly quick and easy way to keep my feet happy. Luckily, after some trial and error I found the perfect solution.

This is a seriously simple way to deal with dry, cracked heels. It doesn't take much extra time on top of what you're already spending in the shower. As someone who can't ever find time to schedule a pedicure, the time factor was important. On top of that, you don't need a bunch of special things and you can make some of it yourself!

3 steps for flip flop ready feet

1. Use a pumice scrubber every time you shower. I love these scrubbers. This alone goes a long way toward soft feet.
2. Two or three times a week, use a sugar scrub after the pumice.
3. Twice a week, slather on a good hydrating lotion and a pair of socks. Personally, I can't wear socks to bed. I wear the socks around the house until bedtime and then take them off. I try to add a little extra lotion to my heels at that point, too.

Flip flop ready feet really are that simple! I love the fact that this doesn't involve anything particularly special and there aren't any chemicals. I can make the sugar scrub myself and I choose lotions with organic ingredients to keep my skin healthy.

What tricks have you found to keep your feet happy for the summer?

Get me to the library on time!

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

I love to read. I love the library. I am, after all, a librarian at heart (and that's what my degree says). I am also notoriously bad at returning books on time. Especially Phee's books. More than once I've had another library patron comment on my very (very!) lengthy check out receipt after I've paid fines.

No more! I'm all for supporting the library, but I need to stop racking up the overdue fines. The last round almost kept me from picking up a hold I had on Takedown Twenty and I do not like to be kept from Stephanie Plum and her exploding cars! Plus, it's kind of embarrassing to walk in, knowing you owe more than $10.

In an effort to keep my money, I've devised a plan of action. Some of these things we usually do, some are new, and some we're just out of the habit of doing. But, it's time to get it together and get back on track.

Tips for using the library

1. Designate a special library bag. We have a specific bag that we always use for the library. It's big and bright and you can't miss it. Phee can go dig it out of the closet herself. When we're finished with a particular book, sometimes it goes right back into the bag for the next trip. If you always use the same bag, then any family member going to the library will know what to take. No more books left behind!


2. Pick a spot to keep the books. Let's face it: if you have kids, you have stuff. It's hard to always keep track of that stuff. Pick a spot where library books are kept: a basket by the bed, a particular part of a bookshelf set off with bookends, in a special reading nook. Do the same for yourself, even if it just means keeping the books on the nightstand. It's a lot easier to scoop up the books from their designated spots than to rush around searching for them at the last minute.


3. Set a due date reminder on your phone/calendar. I'm terrible at this. I even get emails reminders that books will be due in a couple days and I still can't get them returned on time. I make it a point to enter the due date and set a reminder in my phone as soon as we get to the car. You could also make a big note on your paper calendar. Whatever it takes so that you see, and heed, the reminder!

4. Limit the number of books you check out. I'm not very good at this. I have unrealistic expectations of my free time. I let Phee choose books, and then I choose some for us to read, too. Our pile of checkouts gets out of hand pretty quickly. But, if we're making these tips a habit, then we'll be going more often and we don't need to get 15 books at one time. Find a manageable number that works for you and your kids and then really try to stick to it. Fewer fines and lost books!

5. Make visiting the library a habit. If you're at the library every couple weeks, you're reading more, discovering lots of fun books, and showing your kids how to use the library. Better still, you're there. And if you're in the habit of using the library, you're much more likely to remember to return your books.

How do you remember to get your books back on time? What other tips do you have for successful library trips?