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This week’s WFMW is all about our greatest hits/tips from past Works for Me Wednesdays. This required a bit of researching to figure out which WFMW post received the most attention, both views and comments. Without further ado, here’s the winner of the popularity contest, minus the spelling error that I missed the first time around. Maybe that’s why it was so popular… were you all giggling and talking behind my back about it? Well, it’s gone now and I’m going to try to cool off from my embarrassment.
I don’t know about you, but Saturday nights are hectic for us. We go to Saturday Night Service at our Church because it works with Hubby’s schedule… Sunday mornings don’t. And I love Saturday nights because of it. But alas, we get home right around 6:30pm and the kids are needing dinner like 45 minutes ago at that point. So we started implementing a tradition that my parents started with my sibs and I when we were kids, Popcorn Night.
Popcorn Night is pretty much just what it sounds like. A dinner of 
air-popped popcorn (with scrumptious melted butter and salt added of course) served with whatever fruit we have on hand to help make it a tad more nutritious. My kids love it. We all sit around and watch a movie while we munch.
It’s delightful.
It’s a win-win.
The kids love the treat, and the parents love the quick, easy dinner that, in my opinion, is still healthier than hitting the drive-thru even with the butter and salt.
You can pick any night as Popcorn Night. Growing up, our Popcorn Night was on Sunday as we always went to evening Church service (as well as morning. Yep, we were sooo holy. I’m totally kidding!!!), now it’s Saturday’s. For you it might be Mondays. Mondays are always rough…
Popcorn Nights are one of the things that work for me. Check out We Are THAT Family for more fabulous ideas.
Lists… they are essential to my well-being.
Seriously.
So why it took me this long to come with an RV packing list, I have no idea. But I finally had the brilliant idea of creating a packing list that included EVERYTHING I might possibly need to pack for the family. Rain or shine, long trip or short, Summer or Fall, it’s all there on The List.
I was so tired of forgetting to pack things. Sometimes they are minor details, sometimes they are huge catastrophes. Like the two week trip we took and I left my make-up/skin care bag on the bathroom counter at home. YES! That is completely true! Who DOES that?! Not just a chapstick folks. The whole stinkin kit and caboodle! I ended up having to buy a whole new set of the bare essentials (cleanser, moisturizer, cover-up, powder, blush and mascara) at the first drug store we came to after arriving at our destination. The upside to that is, I keep it all in the RV and don’t have to worry about packing those items anymore.
Now, the RV List is long to be sure but all I have to do is cross out everything I don’t need and then check off the ones I do need as I get them packed. Little to no thinking required! And that’s my kind of list my bloggy friends. I keep a hard copy of the list on the computer so that as the kids get older and our needs change, I can go and make corrections without having to completely re-do the whole list.
As a side note, I also keep a pad of paper and pen in the RV so that during out trips, as we run low or use up items that we keep in the RV (cleansers, paper goods, bathroom products, etc.), I can make a list and take it out of the RV with me upon our return home. Then I restock those items as sales or opportunities come up so that it’s not all left for the last moment, when we’re gearing up to head out again.
We love RV-ing as a family. And my RV Packing List has lessened my stress in the packing process and therefore makes it that much more fun to just GO.
Packing Lists work for me. Check out Rocks In My Dryer for more tips and advice.
I didn’t think I’d even have a WFMW this week BUT it turns out that my Tuesday’s activities make a perfect Wednesday tip.
Tuesday morning I got the news that Monday evening the kids and I had been cavorting with the flu bug. Oh YES! You all know the feeling of hearing that news. Of course, it was completely accidental… no purposeful releasing of Mr. Flu germs… but the result is still the same.
WE.. HUNG.. OUT.. WITH.. MR.. FLU..
WE..SHARED..A..BOWLING..BALL..WITH..MR..FLU..
WE..HIGH-FIVED..MR..FLU
WE..WRESTLED..WITH..MR..FLU..
Course, I’m still praying for a miracle. We’re already fighting a nasty chest cold so having to puke through the coughing would just be icing I don’t want on a cake I want to kick to the curb to be hauled far, far, FAR away with the trash.
Tuesday morning I crawled into a dark corner to suck my thumb after hearing the news regarding Mr. Flu. If it weren’t for four hacking munchkins dragging me out of my fetal position 5 minutes after I got there, I’d still be there. That’s just what I do when I hear Mr. Flu’s name. But after being drug by my toes back to reality, I decided to use the day to my advantage. As moms, we all know how fun it is to be sick ourselves and have sick kids and/or a sick husband to care for too. It takes weeks to reclaim the house, the laundry, the pantry and fridge, the dishes. Every inch of your life is affected somehow.
But not THIS time! I decided to take charge before Mr. Flu takes over. I cycled all the laundry through; washed, dryed, folded AND put away. I swept and mopped the floors. It was time anyway and a few more days tacked on because of sickness would have felt like a foot of grime to scrub off post-Mr. Flu. I also had a bunch of meat in the fridge that I’d bought on sale Monday and was waiting to be bagged and put in the freezer. Guess what? It’s duuhhhhnnnn! I also made two dinners for the freezer (Baked Bean Soup and Sloppy Joes) for post-recovery meals. Today, as long as everyone is still fine, I plan on attacking the bathrooms and making some chicken stock to use for chicken soup later.
Eliminating as many details ahead of time as possible when it comes to being sick… it’s what works for me. Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and advice.
Four munchkins birthdays + budget = homemade cakes
It’s an equation that is a fact of life here in the Runningamuck household. Every birthday I’d slave over the cake, staying up all hours the night before the big event, cramming to get it all done. I wanted that cake to knock the socks off that birthday child. Socks are flying off feet all the time in my house, so the least they could do is fly off in awe and wonder at my labor of love.
Well, I’m here to tell you that my cake decorating days are over – in a good way. Because this year I discovered Hello Cupcake:
It is seriously the best cupcake book EVER! Just don’t ask how many I’ve actually read because then I’d have to confess it’s the only one.
But that’s neither here nor there…
I made the pup-cakes that are on the cover for my 2 year old’s birthday and he LOVED them. The amazing part is they actually looked just like the picture! There are cupcakes for all themes and holidays and they will seriously blow you away.
The best part for me is that all the “recipes” call for pre-made items. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a firm believer in making things from scratch to drop unnecessary preservatives and chemicals and also the price! Scratch is almost always cheaper. That being said, birthday parties are a whole other ballgame. There is so much to plan, bake, prepare, clean, create (almost everything is homemade at our parties to save moolah) that when it comes to the cake/cupcakes, if it saves me time, I’m willing to fork over a few more dimes. It means I actually get a whole night of sleep the night before the billions of 10 2 year olds invade my house. That’s the difference between sanity and a padded cell in my world. ”Hello Cupcake” calls for store-bought icing (regular ol Betty Crocker or Pillsbury or The-Cheapest-Icing-On-The-Shelf) and candy. Yep. Candy. You seriously have to check out the book just to see the amazing things you can do with candy.
And something I just discovered? They have a blog. A BLOG everybody. That means even more ideas, creations and help just a mouse click away! And you can submit your own photos and ideas too. Check out cupcake blog in all it’s glory here.
Cupcakes vs. cake? Well, when you have younger munchkins, the whole idea of having a slobbery, germ-filled, possible snot-flaked candle blower is enough to turn even the strongest sweet tooth from the dessert table. To be able to restrict the candle blowing to his/her own cupcake means I get to eat a cupcake, without having to worry about what nastiness is crawling around in my icing. AND it means I can send the extra cupcakes home with the guests and not have a fridge full of cake for the next week that I whittle away at it in the evenings… gaining 10 lbs in the process.
Cupcakes are a win-win.
For more great tips and advice, check out Rocks In My Dryer.
Hey WFMW-ers! It’s been awhile since I’ve contributed. And to tell you the truth, I’m not sure what I’m sharing today really qualifies as a contribution. But what the heck, I’m going to pretend that the information I am about to type will leave you astounded and amazed.
So hold on, I’m about to knock your socks off.
Crisco.
Yep, I’m sharing about Crisco today. Now, Crisco has many glorious uses. One of them being my delish biscuit recipe. But today’s tidbit of Crisco knowledge has nothing to do with food. Can you guess?
It’s eczema.
Yep. Crisco is your ingredient to eczema relief.
My son, Monkey has eczema. Well, psoriasis to be exact. Thankfully it’s purely a season thing. But this winter has been especially hard on his skin for some reason. He hasn’t had just a few patches. No, it’s got him covered from head to toe. No joke. So it goes without saying that during the last month we’ve gone through just about every treatment we can find in our research, just searching for some relief for him. And the answer we’ve found is Crisco.
It’s cheap, it’s easy to find (I had to walk all the way to my kitchen pantry, phew!) and it works just as good as any of the other treatments. Don’t worry, we keep a separate container for Monkey’s Crisco (I don’t want any of you worrying when you stop by for some eatin’ at my house). He gets slathered up morning and night right now since he’s in a big break out.
Now, let me just clarify. We didn’t try the Crisco until Monkey was already in a full break out. So it wasn’t that the Crisco didn’t prevent the break out. We’ll be able to test that after this one gets cleared up and see if it’ll work well enough to nip any future beginning break out in the bud.
So remember, when that dry, itching, winter eczema kicks in… just reach in the pantry for some Crisco.
… and now for excema zapping!
Check out Rocks In My Dryer for more great tips and advice.
This week I’m afraid my WFMW is pretty simple… I’m okay with that. It’s just that “simple” lives very close to “lame”. In fact, I think their apartments share a wall. But here goes anyway.
I have a bad back. I have scoliosis and my spine is in the shape of an “S”. Yeah fun, right? So needless to say, I struggle in the good posture department. The realization of this fact is becoming more and more obvious to me each day. So I’ve been trying to focus on it more and have come up with one way to help combat my lazy, I’m-too-busy-with-the-here-and-now-to-bother-worrying-about-being-permanently-bent-at-the-waste-when-I’m-65-ness. And I think we as a culture suffer from bad posture so that’s why I’m passing along my little nugget of inspiration… or nugget of lameness…
Ready?
When I get in my car, I sit as upright as comfortably possible, look in the review mirror, and adjust it so that I can see properly while in this position. That’s it Folks. Lame Simple, huh?! But get this, because the mirror is already set up high, I’m conscious of every time I start to slouch or hunch over; I can’t see in my mirror! I have to sit up straight again in order to drive properly.
Simple… Lame, however you see it, it works for me and maybe it’ll work for you.
Check out Rocks In My Dryer for less-lame, better ideas! =0)
Winter is coming gals…
I feel it, despite the 102 degree heat that I’ve been experiencing for the past few days. I KNOW it’s coming and it’s like a sweet, sweet song to my ears, or rather, an ice cube to my burning skin. Yes, oh yes. Sweet relief is on it’s way.
Course, right along with the thought of winter coming, came the thought on winter skin. Ugh! It is a drawback to be sure, there always has to be a drawback. Winter brings many skin issues to surface but this week, I’m only going to tackle one because it’s one that a. used to plague me and b. no one talks about (at least that I’ve been within earshot of).
Skin bumps on your legs.
Now some bumps are caused by things like eczema. I’m not talking those bumps. I’m talking, little ingrown hair bumps (if you are unsure if yours are caused by ingrown hairs, just gently scratch the top of one and if it is, a fine, little hair should pop out). Over the years I’ve realized that I only get these during the winter months and only on my thighs. As my subconscious continued to work on this thought, I came to this conclusion (I’m sparing you the details because they involve my thighs and my brain. The two things I try not to talk about to much because they both leave a lot to be desired)
Ingrown hairs are caused by the irritation of pants and the lack of shaving. Come on now, admit it, the minute the weather dips below 60 degrees on a regular basis, you save shaving for Saturday nights only… or Sunday mornings. No one likes seeing leg hair poking out between the silky threads of pantyhose at Church.
So last year as an experiment, I kept up on my leg shaving. Although it wasn’t daily it was every other day. And guess what? Virtually NO LEG BUMPS! My legs were as silky smooth as they could possibly be (no amount of shaving will rid yourself of the cellulite I’ve found out).
I dare you, try it out this winter. You thighs and pantyhose will thank you.
Go check out Rocks In My Dryer for more tips and advice.
I’d just like to take the time to point out that it’s September ya’ll. SEPTEMBER!!!! Where has the year gone?!!
ANYWAY, this week’s WFMW is a backwards edition. It’s a week where I get to ask a question of YOU! And please, I need help on this one in a big way.
Night Terrors. If you want, read my little story about my recent (and very first) experience with them. My question is, what do YOU do when your little one(s) are in the middle of one? Wear ear plugs? Feed them? Sit them down in front of the tv? Hold them? Splash water on them? Read to them? Pray? (trust me, did lots of that one already) All of the above? Or none at all?
Help! I welcome any suggestions you have.
Be sure to check out Rocks In My Dryer for more mind-boggling questions that you just might have the answer to and therefore become a hero to an untold amount of struggling moms/women. Who can pass THAT up?!
I don’t know about you, but Saturday nights are hectic for us. We go to Saturday Night Service at our Church because it works with Hubby’s schedule… Sunday mornings don’t. And I love Saturday nights because of it. But alas, we get home right around 6:30pm and the kids are needing dinner like 45 minutes ago at that point. So we started implementing a tradition that my parents started with my sibs and I when we were kids, Popcorn Night.
Popcorn Night is pretty much just what it sounds like. A dinner of air-popped popcorn (with scrumptious melted butter and salt added of course) served with whatever fruit we have on hand to help make it a tad more nutricious. My kids love it. We all sit around and watch a movie while we munch.
It’s delightful.
It’s a win-win.
The kids love the treat, and the parents love the quick, easy dinner that, in my opinion, is still healthier than hitting the drive-thru even with the butter and salt.
You can pick any night as Popcorn Night. Growing up, our Popcorn Night was on Sunday as we always went to evening Church service (as well as morning. Yep, we were sooo holy. I’m totally kidding!!!), now it’s Saturday’s. For you it might be Mondays. Mondays are always rough…
Popcorn Nights are one of the things that work for me. Check out Rocks In My Dryer for more fabulous ideas.
Sssshhhhh! Don’t tell the crazy lady that just posted this, but it IS Wednesday! She must be having a difficult time keeping track of her days since getting home from such a relaxing vacation. *snicker, snicker* she’s so lame!
clearing throat loudly and moving on…
So this week I’m highlighting tips on how to help lessen work load while camping, er um, with a camping trailer. You can adjust these to hotel vacations and tent camping also. I’ve learned these the hard way. Hopefully some of these will be new ideas for you that will help you relax a bit this summer.
~ Make dinners at Home and Freeze. This was the biggest load-lightener for me. It does require more work at home before the trip but trust me, every evening, when you pop that already made dinner in the oven (or campfire), you’ll pat yourself on the back and kiss yourself in the mirror (not recommended if you are having to use a public bathroom mirror!) for being so smart. It’s so nice and easy to just pull out that day’s dinner in the morning, let it defrost all day while you are out and about (or snoozing in the sunshine) and then just heat it up for 30 minutes before dinner. Some great homemade frozen dinner ideas are, lasagne, enchiladas, Chicken ala King, soups, taco meat (just bring along the tortillas and fixin’s), meatloaf. You can do store-bought frozen dinners in a pinch but it ends up being so much better for your vacation-stretched budget to make them at home. Sometimes I do half homemade, half store bought if I’m in a time crunch. Also, I use the aluminum pans to freeze them in. That way, even the clean up is a snap. Just toss that dirty pan in the trash and move on to dessert! Breakfasts can also be made ahead of time. Big Daddy Biscuits work great! Just mix all but the milk together, place in a ziploc (make sure to write the milk measurement and cooking temp and time on the outside. ‘Cuz those vacationing brain cells forget a LOT!) and refrigerate until you’re ready to use. Sausage gravy can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. And frozen waffles or french toast make for easy mornings too.
~ Plan Ahead. For a long time I fought the need to really plan well for vacation. But it’s worth it’s weight in gold people. The more you plan for, the less spur-of-the-moment scurring around you have to do while on vacation. Plan for layered clothing so that you are somewhat prepared no matter the weather (like this recent trip to Arizona when we woke up to 8 inches of snow – in MAY!).
Plan for some extra food, just in case you get snowed in end up feeding new friends you meet along the way or your kids suddenly become ravenous vultures from all the activities and fun going on. Plan and pack for each activity you hope to do. It’ll save you money AND errand running if you can bring it from home.
~ Bring toys and quiet kid activities. Since you might want some downtime while the kids are awake, bring along toys, games and coloring/reading books that they can do on their own. That will allow you to relax a bit while they entertain themselves. We keep a separate set of toys in the trailer that they only get to play with while we’re camping. That way, the toys stay special and new to them. We do retire them about every year and a half and bring new ones on board.
~ Tag Team It. One of the ultimate, most fabulous things Hubby does for me is take the three oldest out for about an hour and a half every morning. Because Lil Blue still takes morning naps, he stays behind with me. But when he drops that nap, you better believe he gets to tag along with Dad too! Here’s our morning system: I get up at 7am with the kids and let Hubby try to ignore the breakfast rukus sleep in. Around 9am, when Lil Blue goes back to bed, Hubby then heads out for some grand adventure with the rest of the mini-muffins and I get to eat the breakfast leftovers and go back to sleep leisurely shower, dress and get ready for the day. It’s delightful I tell you, those moments of peace and quiet. Helps me prepare myself for the onslaught of activity that is the rest of the day.
~ Try To Stick To Your Regular Routine. This one is probably the hardest to do but also really pays off. Obviously, some activities will demand a change to your regular at-home schedule. But when you can, stick to regular meal times, naptimes and bedtimes. Your kids will then know what to expect. And when that is the case, they tend to be a little less crazy and overwhelmed by the whole vacation thing. Especially the real little ones. They really benefit from a shedule at home so why should vacation be different? If you want to preserve some of your sanity that is.
I know there are probably more tips I’m forgetting but I’ll add them as the come to me. I’d love to hear what you do to help lighten the load during vacations so feel free to leave them in the comment section. Maybe I can compile all of our tips and make a page out of them for quick reference for us all.
For more great tips and ideas, check out Rocks In My Dryer.
