Camping recap

I thought I was prepared for everything on this camping trip. Well, I was wrong. I know it's inevitable that something will be forgotten, I feel like the stuff we forgot wasn't a big deal but certainly would have made life easier.

1. Broom to sweep out tent
   
2. Carpet squares to keep the dirt out of the tent
   
3. Dish towels
   
4. Dish soap
   
5. Water jug for washing water
   
6. Water cooler for drinking water
   
7. Tarp for under the tent
   
8. Mesh bag to dry dishes
   
9. Metal spoons for cooking and serving
   
10. Camping plates and silverware (we ran out of paper plates) 
    

Camping Necessities

I spent a lot of time before our trip to research camping supplies. Thankfully, the kids and my husband went to scout camp a few weeks prior. We had a lot of stuff that was needed for both trips.

Lighting is a must. I found little flashlights and headlamps for $1 at Wal-Mart. I had a small lantern that I bought for a winter storm. I added a carabiner to the handle for use as a light in the tent. The black flashlight is dual purpose. It is a flashlight and also a portable cell phone charger. I bought glow sticks at the dollar store and they were a failure. Next time, I'll spend a little more and buy them at a different store.

Our campground had a huge bear proof dumpster. It was up at the entry to the site but well worth keeping the trash away. We generated a lot of garbage so we needed a trash can close by. I saw on pinterest to buy a collapsible laundry hamper. I used clips to hold the bag in place. It folds down to about a 6 inch circle and you can store the bags within.

We had three different ways to start fire. Flint and steel. Matches. Lighter. No, we didn't use flint and steel but it was there in case of emergency. The matches were in the orange waterproof container. We used the matches to start our fires. The lighter came in handy when it came to the camp stove.

I used an old baby wipes container for the first aid kit. I made sure it was well stocked since the nearest hospital was over an hour away. There was gauze, alcohol wipes, bandaids, cotton swabs, saline tubes, gloves, tape, ibuprofen, allergy pills, anti itch cream, antibiotic gel, scissors, hand sanitizer, wooden tongue depressor, and disposable ice pack.

My favorite item was my pink tackle box. It held all of the little items that I felt were needed. I'm crazy about making sure that everything was organized. The items are as follows:

• hamper
• trash bags
• needlenose pliers
• scissors
• batteries
• paracord
• flashlights
• headlamp
• survival whistle
• matches
• lighter
• hand sanitizer
• pens
• sharpie
• bug spray
• lip balm
• toothpaste
• clips
• rubber bands
• pocket knife
• small sewing kit (yes, I used it. My friends tent got a hole on the first day)

Family Management Binder - Meals

Advanced meal planning is very important for me. Since I work so early each morning, I am usually exhausted by the time I get home. I have little motivation to throw and entire meal together. I'm finding that every little thing helps.

1. Pantry and freezer inventory. This is key as most of my meats are stored in the freezer. My pantry is necessary for beans, pasta, rice, etc.
2. List of family favorites. I love to try new recipes that I find online or from friends. I still have some childhood favorites as well as newer recipes that have become staples. 
3. The food nanny talks about themed nights such as italian, mexican, grilled, etc. I think this is a great idea to cut out the stress of deciding what to eat. Have you ever seen "Big Bang Theory"? Sheldon is very set in his ways. He insists that the same routine be followed each week. 
4. Coupons! I have been overly excited when meal coupons are released. There was one for lasagna, bread, salad, and a 2 liter of soda. I believe that if I had bought each separately, it would have been cheaper to go out to eat. With the coupon, I spent $10. I am also a HUGE fan of restaurant coupons. I have a separate email address for these promotions. I often get by one get one free coupons. It makes date night a bit more manageable.
5.  Meal planning sheet. I know that we are in a digital age. There are still things I need to see on paper. I created a meal planning sheet (see below). You can also use your family calendar (mine is too small) or dry erase board. The possibilities are endless.
6. Supplies. I have ruined several "good" plastic storage containers by freezing meals in them. I have learned that the dollar store has great options. Resealable baggies work well too. I usually just freeze the soup or sauce or anything else in the baggie placed in a pan. Once frozen, I take out the pan and have a nice flat bag. 
7. Variety. For me, there are nights that I have no time for dinner. When I know in advance of a busy day, I usually throw something in the crockpot that morning. The freezer meals are nice for the crazy days that you didn't know were coming. They do take 1 full hour to cook through. And then there are the few nights that I have plenty of time to prepare a full meal. This is were I choose to make a double batch and freeze the other half.

What's in my purse - small version

I have 1 month left of my cute small purse until the twins come and my mommy purse is taken out of storage. I am addicted to purses. Thirty-One and Miche are two of my favorite retailers. My small purse is from Thirty-One, as is my wallet, key strap and cosmetics bag. All of my friends tease that my purse is something out of "Mary Poppins." I just like to be prepared!

Here are the pictures:

And the list:
Coupons (purple case)
Loyalty cards (white with dots business card case)
Notebook
Pen
Phone
Sunglasses
Fingernail Clippers
Tweezers
Eyeglass kit
Nail file
Calendar
DoTerra Oils - peppermint, lavender, slim and sassy, on guard, melaluca, etc.
OTC Medications - Aspirin, Tylenol and Ibuprofin

Getting Organized - Command Center part 2

I cleaned out my cupboard and put all of the cookbooks above my refrigerator. Honestly, I don't use them that often since I find most of my recipes online.

I went to the dollar store to find organization bins. I wanted red to accent the rest of my kitchen. Sadly, the ones I wanted were gone. I chose two others and then bought a red basket at Hobby Lobby.

The cupboard is looking 150% better.

The bottom basket has different sections

And last but not least, the calendar!

What's left?
Finishing my binder
Labeling each bin
Find 1 more small bin.
Finish door decor

Getting Organized - Family Binder

As hard as I try, there are some things that I can just never keep my hands on. When tax time rolls around, we are always scrambling to find the user id and password. I am normally good at remembering birthdays but sometimes, they slip past me. I decided to compile a binder to contain all of this necessary information in one place.

The first section is finances. I created a budget sheet that I printed out for this binder. My husband often says that he has no idea what's going on with our bills and bank account. This way, he'll be able to see at a glance where we're at for the pay period.

Here's the sheet I created:

My husband and I get paid on the same day. I chose to split the sheet by pay periods to make things easier. The misc income is for the cakes or crafts that I do. You'll notice that I added date night as part of this sheet. I find myself compromising our dates due to finances. Spending time with your spouse is so important! Just because you're married doesn't mean that you should stop dating.

Now for the other part of this financial sheet: DUE DATES! We get paid every other Friday. These dates change every month. The bills don't have changing dates. They are set. I try to plan according to when we are paid and when the bills are due.

Getting Organized - Command Center

The cabinet next to my fridge is a nightmare. It is where we put everything that has no home. It gets cluttered quickly. Mail gets lost. Coupons are expired by the time I find them again. I've been searching pinterest to find a better option. I now have a few ideas in mind and cannot wait to get started.

Here are a few of the Pinterest ideas that inspired me:


My first priority will be the back of the door. We already have a dry erase calendar on the side of the fridge that will soon live on the door.

This is a work in progress. I'll show you through every step.

To give you an idea of my starting point. Here is a BEFORE photo:

Wish me luck