Nix9to5

Thinking Other Moms’ Homes are Neater Than Yours?

// March 10th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Balance, Life in General, Organization, Time Management

I admit it.  I think everyone’s house is cleaner, neater, and tidier than mine.  I just assume that everyone else’s house ALWAYS looks like it does when I visit, and not just that they cleaned it up for company.  This article by guest writer Jennifer Tankersly of ListPlanIt really sheds some light on TOMHANTY Syndrome and how to combat it.

Thinking Other Moms’ Homes are Neater Than Yours?

Do you ever visit other moms’ homes and wonder how they keep it so neat? Do you ever sit around in your own home with toys strewn over the floor, laundry piles (both clean and dirty) beckoning for attention, and three meals worth of dishes stacked next to the sink and wonder why you are the only mom on the planet who cannot keep up with her home? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you may be suffering from “TOMHANTY” Syndrome (Thinking Other Moms’ Homes Are Neater Than Yours). The symptoms of this terrible disease are guilt, envy, stress, and even withdrawal (did I mention guilt?). You look around as you walk from room to room wondering how it could have gotten so messy since yesterday. You believe that the new friend you just made from your weekly visit to the library could never let her house look like a tornado just went through it. You are sure that your friend whose house you visit occasionally for a scheduled playgroup would never have dust bunnies the size of . . .well, a bunny.

Welcome to the Real Moms Club, where it is not just about being a mom, but being real and knowing that you don’t have to be a perfect housekeeper. Maybe in the days of our grandmothers when society said that kids could roam unsupervised and free around town, but a mom’s house was a reflection of who she was as a woman. Today, there is a different set of priorities for many moms, and a perfect house is not usually the highest on the list, although we still imagine we are being judged on everything from how we raise our children to how much education we pursue to how great a job we land and finally to how tidy we keep house. Moms of today are stretched and pulled in many directions. Life is rarely as simple as a clean house. Stop telling yourself that you are not a good mom because your house is not always as neat as you think other moms’ homes are. Most moms are struggling to keep up as well. What is the cure to TOMHANTY Syndrome, you ask? Well, you could drop by a friend’s house unannounced with the pretext of delivering some home-baked cookies; you could watch her face turn beet red with shame as she turns to survey the wreck of toys, laundry, and dishes behind her; you could listen to her offer up every reason why her house is in such disarray; or maybe you could just take me at my word when I say that you are not alone. Release your guilt by making a list of what you DID accomplish today: got kids dressed, dropped kids off at school and picked kids up after, washed and folded a load of laundry, paid bills, took dog to vet, fed family for the day. It all counts toward making your house a home in which your family can grow and feel loved.

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Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find 400 lists and planning pages including cleaning schedules, daily to do lists, grocery lists, and holiday/party planning to put your world in order.

Get Organized with today’s DealPulp deal

// March 5th, 2011 // No Comments » // Deals, Money Matters, Organization, Time Management

Today’s Daily Deal from DealPulp will help get you organized and keep you that way–something that is a constant struggle for me as my loyal Nix9to5 readers know.  For only $8, you can get $20 to spend on notepads and planners from LobotoME {goods to keep me sane}.

With a range of planners including Mom ME and Organize ME, and quick planning notepads like Feed ME, Fit ME, Save ME, Pack ME, and just ME, you can find the perfect planner or notepad to help you organize you life.  They also have organizing kits, perfect for gift giving.

Sign up for Deal Pulp to take advantage of this great deal.

Big Shopping Trip

// February 28th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Couponing, Life in General, Money Matters, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

As most of you know, one of the most significant changes I made to allow me to become a WAHM was to become more frugal in our spending, trimming the grocery/household budget by clipping coupons and matching with sales.  As I got further behind on work and on housework, however, I really started slipping with the couponing.  I did still try to be more conscientious in my shopping–usually–and I tried to shop at Aldi as much as possible for low-priced groceries.  However, none of the savings are as good as when I’m really into couponing.  My “stash” of products was getting depleted (except for body wash, which we may never run out of), and I knew it was time to get back to thrifty shopping.

Luckily, I’ve done better with managing my time, getting caught up on my copywriting projects, and getting the house straightened up.  That means that I have the time to get back to coupon-clipping and smart shopping.  Yesterday I threw out expired coupons and clipped the ones for this week’s sales.  Today, I hit four stores (CVS, Walgreens, Crest, and Homeland) and came back with a lot of groceries and household goods for not a lot of money.

I wish I had taken a picture for you, but I was too concerned about getting everything put away immediately (part of my strategy for keeping the house clean).  Here’s the breakdown, though:

• 69 items (which also includes “bulk” items, like an 8-pack of paper towels, and two 6-packs of paper towels, and two 6-packs of toilet paper)
• Total out of pocket:  $134.91
• Total back in Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks:  $46.28
• Like paying $88.63

My receipts show I saved $83.95 with combined sale prices and coupons, plus I got the $46 in RR and ECB, so theoretically, I paid $88.63 for $218.86 worth of products.  Not too shabby.

Also, in a different transaction, Soap.com was offering $10 off to first time customers with the code 10bucksoff.  I used the code to get 6 boxes of protein bars for Hot Husband.  These run around $9/box at CVS, and he goes through them pretty quickly.  With the lower price at Soap.com, plus the $10 savings, plus free shipping, I got them at $6.15/box.

Today, I’ve done a better job of saving money than making money, but I did get a new client today, so I have another project (and paycheck) coming my way.

Being a WAHM is hard work.  It takes a lot of time and energy, and it requires more balance and organization than I thought possible.  Luckily, after several months of being a WAHM, it seems like it might finally be coming together.

Productivity at Last!

// February 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Life in General, Organization, Time Management

I have been working really hard lately at trying to get caught up on copywriting projects and making a dent in the housework, which is why I’ve neglected Nix9to5 a bit.  Fortunately, I had a highly productive week, and I am actually NOT BEHIND on copywriting.  I mean, I’ve got plenty on my to-do list, but none of it is past deadline or has a looming deadline.  That’s such a sense of relief.  Also, my bathroom counter is clean, my bed is made, and there are only two loads of laundry to be done . . . and they are in progress as we speak.  I have a chicken cooked and deboned and homemade stock waiting to be defatted.  I have a crockpot full of beans, a menu plan, and a shopping list.  It may not be much, but I’m getting there.

I’ve come up with some ideas on how to better organize my time, accomplish tasks, and not feel completely overwhelmed at all times.  I’ve also found some tools to help me implement those ideas.  Next week, I’ll begin sharing those tools and ideas with you.

In the meantime, I’m going to keep taking advantage of Bear’s unexpectedly long nap and get a little more housework done.  I’ll “see” you Monday!!

The WHOLE Chicken

// February 10th, 2011 // 14 Comments » // Budget, Cooking, Money Matters, Time Management

I keep threatening to tell you about how I made a whole chicken for the first time ever during our first round of snow days.   Now,  I’m sure that several of you are actual grown-up women who have done this kind of thing before, but not me.  I’m just faking it.  Until now, I’ve only cooked boneless chicken breasts.  Maybe one time, we grilled some legs when I got them on sale, but I’m not actually sure I’m the one who grilled them, since Hot Husband is the man, and therefore, the grill is generally his domain.  So anyway, this Cooking of a Whole Chicken was quite a turning point for me.  I must say I was quite intimidated at the prospect, and had it not been for The Happy Housewife, I may never have even tried it.

You see, Toni from The Happy Housewife was posting a week’s worth of crockpot recipes, and one she included was “Whole Chicken in a Crockpot.”  That looked easy enough, but I still probably wouldn’t have tried it, had she not included recipes for what to do with this big ol’ chicken and its carcass (blech) once you were done crockpotting it (new verb for you).  With her ideas in mind, though, I headed to the grocery store to buy a whole chicken.  That in itself was kind of weird.  I didn’t even know where to find a whole chicken.  In the meat department?  In the freezer section?  Running around in a barnyard? (more…)

Greetings from Snowklahoma!!

// February 3rd, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Cooking, Family, Life in General, Money Matters, Time Management, Work at Home

(I know this picture has nothing to do with snow, but it is awfully durn cute.)

I’ve been doing an awful lot of complaining about how everyone is getting snow days except for us, but thanks to “Blizzard 2011″ (also known as Snowpocalypse, SnOMG, Arcti-geddon, and various other things), we are catching up with the rest of the nation.  Monday night/Tuesday morning brought 40 mile/hour winds, -15 degree wind chills, and 8-12 inches of snow (depending on who you ask).  Friday morning will mark our fourth straight snow day, and I’m LOVING IT.

I haven’t ventured out of the house since Monday afternoon except for a brief interlude Tuesday when I thought we were going to go “play” in the snow–but the blowing winds and arctic temps put a damper on that in a hurry!  Because of the winds, our yard doesn’t look like we got anywhere near a foot of snow–maybe just a few inches–until you look at the three-foot drifts by our fence.

I’ve spent the entire week in pajama pants, and I really don’t have any plans on changing that strategy tomorrow.  And although I work from home, I took “snow days” along with Hot Husband and the Bear.  We’ve been watching the whole Toy Story saga, and I watched Toy Story 3 for the first time this morning (*sob*).  I’ve drunk gallons of hot chocolate and hot cinnamon milk, and talked myself out of baking a batch of cookies, because we all know which waistband-avoiding mama will be eating them all by herself.

We did have some minor drama as Bear got terribly sick Tuesday evening, and I was terrified that we’d have to brave the blizzard Wednesday morning to try to get him to the doctor without getting my little two-wheel drive RAVzilla stuck in the snow.  Fortunately, he woke up Wednesday morning feeling much, much better.

Lest you think I’ve been completely unproductive in these few days, there are a few things I’ve been up to.  I’ve made freezer breakfasts–sausage biscuits (courtesy of Charla’s Confessions) and low-fat whole wheat waffles.  I’ve made a huge pot–vat, really–of baked potato soup (recipe coming soon) and cooked a WHOLE CHICKEN, which I’ve never, ever attempted before (details coming soon).  Though I spent too much on the chicken, now that I’ve researched to see what sale prices should be for a whole chicken, it was still cheaper than buying the frozen breasts (even at a sale price of $1.67/lb), plus it yielded about 7 cups of chicken stock, saving me from buying roughly 4 cans of broth in the future.

Today, in an effort to stave off cabin fever and to force me to get some work done, Hot Husband took the Bear to Chick-fil-a so he could play on the indoor playground, and I made some headway in all the work I’ve been neglecting.

I’m so sorry I’ve neglected you, readers, but I have been thoroughly enjoying being cooped up with my little family.  Coming up in the next few days, I’ll be bringing you the baked potato soup recipe, the Adventures of the Whole Bird, and two more giveaways.

I hope you’re all staying warm and cozy!

Now THAT’S Busy!!

// January 12th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Family, Organization, Time Management

I’ve been thinking a lot about how even though I say I’m busy (and I AM), I’ve actually got things pretty easy by comparison.  My excuses for not getting things done seem pretty weak when I think about how much other women have to juggle, and how they seem to be are much, much better at it than I am.

My friend Kelly at Sowell Honey Farm is one of these women who amaze me with their ability to successfully balance tasks and chores that would wipe me clean out.  Kelly not only raises her children, but also goats, chickens, pigs, bees–who knows what else?  Her bees make THE BEST HONEY, and Kelly makes the most wonderful beeswax and honey skin care products.  While my work at home job involves sitting on my couch or at my desk and typing, Kelly’s involves a slew of tasks I can’t even fathom–taking chare of a farm; running a small business; making lotion, soap, and lip balm; inventing new products.  I need a nap just thinking about it.

And yet, Kelly explains that she has no excuse for feeling like she’s busy.   She wrote a guest post called “I Have No Excuse” on Farm Bell Recipes at Chickens in the Road.  She writes about her great-grandmother Mary, and what it must have been like for this 46-year-old mother of 19 kids in 1895.  Nineteen kids in 23 years. Can you imagine?  That alone would have flat killed me.

If you need a dose of reality or a reminder of just how good you have it, head over and check out Kelly’s article.  While you’re at it, “like” Sowell Honey Farm on Facebook and check them out on the web.  Buy yourself some Creamed Cinnamon Honey or beeswax lip balm.  You’ll be glad you did!

Hmm . . . perhaps this could be one of my giveaways if enough people “like” Nix9to5 on Facebook by this weekend.

Freezer Cooking: Warm up with Italian Chili

// January 12th, 2011 // No Comments » // Cooking, Time Management

My friend Charla is just beginning her third trimester in her pregnancy with baby number two.  In her blog, Charla’s Confessions: Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, Charla writes about how she is getting ready for Baby Brother by restocking her freezer stash.  I’ve written briefly before about how freezer cooking is a great way to  manage time for anyone–working moms, work at home moms, and stay at home moms.   It generally doesn’t take any longer to cook two batches of your meal than one, and when you throw one in the freezer, then the next time you eat that meal, preparation is nil.  Plus, you save money by not throwing out leftovers.  Just freeze them and save them for later.

My own freezer stash is depleted to nothing and has been for some time.  As I try to re-establish a focus on time saving, money saving, and organization–the things that allowed me to become a WAHM in the first place–I’m going to restock my freezer with healthy meals just waiting to be thawed and enjoyed.

The first meal to go in my freezer is courtesy of my mother-in-law (Bear’s “Beela”).  When Hot Husband and I first married, I made him some chili and asked what he thought of it.  He said, “It’s just really different from my mom’s chili.”  Later, I discovered the reason for the difference is that this Italian Chili to which he was referring is not what I would call chili at all.  Still, everyone’s definition of chili is different:  I mean, if you can put chocolate or cinnamon in it, or put it on top of spaghetti, and still attempt to call it chili, then who am I to judge?

Even though this isn’t what I would typically consider “chili,” it is really yummy, great for a cold, cold night, and it is meal number one in rebuilding my freezer stash.  Here’s the recipe for Italian Chili (Thanks, Beela!): (more…)

Suck it up, Princess.

// January 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies, Family, Life in General, Organization, Time Management, Work at Home

Those of you who have been following me for a while have read numerous posts about how I really struggle with effectively managing my time since nixing the 9 to 5 to become a work at home mom. Yesterday, I complained about how I felt guilty for taking my Bear to Mother’s Day Out and to his grandparents’ house so I could have time to focus on my work. And while I did get several pages written for my two biggest clients, my house is still unkempt, and the Christmas decorations, which have at least been taken down, are piled in boxes on the kitchen floor and dining room table, just waiting to be taken to the garage, where they will remain until November 25–or later, depending on how far behind I am.

Today, Amanda at Simple Saving Savvy reposted an article from Money Saving Mom on her Facebook page that really made me stop and think.  The article was a guest post from Lisa at Warrior Mama called Time Management Tips for Parents with Special Needs Children. The article begins:

“I’m a mom of two special needs kids. I make all of my kids’ foods from scratch to avoid their combined 35 food allergies and sensitivities. I also manage multiple specialists, food supplements, medications and education IEP’s.  Here are a few things I do to make my days run more smoothly.” (more…)

OKC Groupon for 3.5 Hours of Housecleaning!!

// January 5th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Deals, Family, Time Management

This summer, I bought a Groupon for 3 hours of house cleaning from Ms. Picky.  I haven’t redeemed it yet, although I desperately need to.  I’m thinking that once I (finally) get the Christmas decorations put away, I’ll call Ms. Picky and have her come take care of things for me.

If you missed out on the Ms. Picky deal, or if you have already redeemed yours, Groupon is offering another hot housecleaning deal.  For only $45, you can get three and a half hours of housecleaning from King’s Green Cleaning .  I’m all about having someone come take care of my house for me–how’s that for time management and organization?!  Here’s what Groupon has to say about this deal: (more…)