The Queen of KAOS @Home

I am having one of those days that things seem to be quite in order so I want to use the time to take it to the next level.

Since decluttering is the absolute key, I have found through too many years of merely moving things around, I decided that this is the perfect day to take the ebook “Declutter Fast” for a test drive.

And I am so excited by the methods (you can choose from a few) that I had to post here and encourage anyone who is drowning in clutter to join me (or even if you are not drowning in it, I have gotten most of mine out of the way but there is still room for improvement, it seems to have legs of it’s own and just invites itself in!)

You can grab your own copy any time at Declutter Fast and get it out of your way once and for all.

by Jill Cooper

I often hear ladies complaining that they want to stay at home with their kids but that they “have to work since it is so expensive to raise kids these days”. One of the main questions I get asked about frugal living is “won’t I be depriving my children if I live the frugal life?” Maybe I can answer that question with a few questions.

How am I depriving my children by having them drink water for every meal instead of juice and soda? Isn’t one thing doctors are always complaining about is we don’t drink enough water? Cutting out just one glass of soda per person per day for a family of four would save $547.50 a year and make them healthier.

How am I depriving my children by having them eat an apple or homemade granola bar for a snack instead of a bag of chips? Obesity is a major problem among children in the United States. If you cut out just one bag of chips a week you would save $104.00 a year and make them healthier.

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Anger management is a life skill that we can use our whole life through.

Mastering it can mean a better life for ourselves and for our children.

Being a good example to them will help them to instil these habits themselves, and to benefit by growing to their best potential without anger, both on the giving and recieving end, stunting their emotional growth.

Choose the method below that best suits you and the next time you feel a temper tantrum coming on (yours or your childs!), try it.

POSITIVE WAYS TO DEAL WITH ANGER - by Aurelia Williams

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I am a firm believer that our attitude and emotions are largely controlled by our own thinking habits. And sometimes, or many times depending on the day, it is hard to stay in the mode of positive thinking - it really can be a challenge, especially if our habits are already ingrained as negative self talk.

Have you listened to your Self lately?

I know when I make a point of it, many times I don’t like what I hear. And all it takes is the decision to control our thoughts in a positive direction.

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Have you noticed that your spending habits have morphed over the years? I remember as a child being rich with my allowance of 25 cents to buy gum once a week. ( remember the long stick of bazooka gum divided into 5? We got one piece every day of the week day)

But as I’ve grown older, I have things that I really wanted, that I haven’t even opened!

This article is great food for thought on spending habits and how appreciation can save us money. I know I will be more conscientious the next time I go shopping. (I also am noticing this in my own children though, the key is scarcity… they simply get too much, and so do I. This tip will also help you keep down the clutter.)

I highly recommend you check out the article.

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Some of you may have already heard of Maria Gracia from her website Get Organized Now!

She is an expert on the subject of time management and organization with a lot to say on the subject.

Her advice is very welcome here, so we will be posting guest articles by Maria featured on Mondays over the next weeks.

The first one is below, on the subject of personal recipe binders. They are a staple in any organized kitchen. I found when I was making my first meal plans, that although they weren’t in a binder, our tried and true recipes where an invaluable addition to the plan.

A personal recipe binder is like the Catillac of recipe binders!

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A personal recipe binder can be one of the most treasured items in your kitchen. For one thing, it is a database of all of your family favourites.

It can also be an heirloom, both from past generations as you collect old family favourites that have been passed down, they will be precious some day, and as an heirloom for your kids. They will love to have it, and even use it when they have their own family to feed.

You can really gussy it up with family photos and use some of the amazing scrapbooking supplies available these days.

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I’ve brainstormed a bit with the kids as to what they like to eat, made a list of possible meals for this week, and filled in dinner and breakfast for the rest of the week.

It’s my daughter’s birthday on Sat, as well as her papa’s (my husbands dad) so we are going there for supper, no planning that day for dinner!

So my white board looks a little sparse, but I’m quite pleased with it, especially since I was able to keep to my plan for supper today, even though I just made about an hour ahead of time.

Piece of cake! (that’s on the list :0)

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I finally got tired of having to scrounge through the cupboard at mealtime.

I have been working hard on providing menu planning products, including a new ebook that I decided to give a go called Meal Time, On Time.

I am having a lot of fun with it so far. I am not new to menu planning, but have already started some very good habits suggested in this book.

This calender white board is one of them.

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The summer slipped by me again and I didn’t get one of the major items accomplished that I had wanted to - painting!

We’ve managed to get the house generally decluttered but in some places it still looks kind of crappy because we need to spruce up the paint here and there.

So I am going to declare the rest of September to be painting month.

I have a bit of decluttering left to do but I don’t want to spend much time on it. I found this book called Declutter Fast that I am going to use to help me speed up the process.

And then I am on to painting - looking forward to spending the winter in a fresh and comforting… colourful house!

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