I have one kitchen counter that always stays completely cleared off, except when dirty dishes take over. I do this because I like the visual look of a cleared off surface, but also because it's a really useful space. When I need to chop veggies, portion out meats, or prep for freezer meals, I have the space. When I've just gotten home from the grocery store, and I need somewhere to set 7 bags and 2 gallons of milk without Elizabeth unloading the eggs for me, I set them up here. When I'm … [Read more...]
How To Save On Tissues When Everyone Has A Cold
It's that time of year. Spring is coming! The snow is finally melting, the temperatures are climbing, and...everyone gets a sniffly nose. And if your house is like ours, the little people don't quite know how to blow or wipe their noses on tissues. The couch? Sure. Mom's arm? Definitely. But not tissues. So we gave each child a burp rag. My Grandma Winter made a stack of these for us before Jonah was born, and even though we're past the burp rag stage of life, I'm not quite ready to let … [Read more...]
Quick Tip: Put Stickers On Your Washer And Dryer
This is my washer. Next to each dial is a little sticker by one of the settings. This means that my six-year-old and four-year-old can do their own laundry. Mostly. We're still working on measuring the soap. But they know how to load the machine, and after checking to make sure each dial is turned to the right sticker, to push the start button. Same with the dryer. A four-year-old might not remember to wash his clothes in cold water on the cotton cycle, but he can match the knob with … [Read more...]
Quick Tip: Use Up The Last Bit Of Dish Soap
When the dish soap is just about gone, don't throw the bottle away! Instead, the next time you do the dishes, run the water through the (nearly) empty dish soap bottle first, and throw the lid in the water too. There's usually enough soap coating the inside of the bottle and lid to fill your sink with suds for one more load. Plus, then your dish soap bottle is rinsed out and ready to be recycled! … [Read more...]
How To Clean Greasy Residue Off Of Pans
Let me preface this by saying that there are two groups of people who will read this post. First, the people who think this is a great trick and want to try it immediately. Second, those who wonder why I would even care about cleaning the bottoms of my pans in the first place. To you, I say, because they look so pretty when they're nice and clean. You can continue to think I'm crazy. I'm okay with that... I was doing dishes last night, and noticed the bottom of my muffin pans are seriously … [Read more...]