TIps

I know I'm a little weird, but I've determined that it will be easier to convert everyone else to my weirdness rather than becoming un-weird.  Sooooo, I'm going to give you tips on being weird - just like me.  I use these little time-savers, cost-savers, or repurpose ideas all the time.  I've had just enough people say "Weird!  You do WHAT?  What an idea", that I'm inspired.  Here you go:

1.  Putting out ice for drinks  (This was discussed last night, right girls?):  To keep your ice from melting into a pool of cold water and re-freezing in one big lump, pour your ice into a colander placed in a big bowl.  This allows the melted ice to settle at the bottom and keeps your ice fresh on top.

2.  Paper towels cores.  Save your empty paper towl rolls - slide them into a drawer and stuff your used plastic bags in them.  Keeps them handy and confined.

3.  Double your batches.  I know everyone knows about this but I'm surprised at how few do it.  Again, I'm weird.  Making spaghetti?  Brown twice as much meat, mix it with the sauce and freeze half of it - you'll have another night ready (spaghetti, lasagna, lots of pastas, grinders, etc) to go - all you have to do is reheat.  Same with chicken - cook it in the crockpot with some broth overnight and it will be ready for easy shredding/cubing in the morning.  If you made twice as much, you'll have shredded chicken for fajitas another night.  Chocolate chip cookie dough: make extra cookie balls and freeze.  Potroast:  shred the extra and freeze for BBQ beef or beef and noodles later.  I know, this is nothing earth-shattering, but its how this workin' mama survives!  The Ziploc vacuum bags are awesome for this purpose.

4.  Dental floss:  I know you would never use this for its normal purpose, right?  So use it to cut blocks of cheese, cheese cake, layer cakes...  Antacid tablets:  drop one of these in a little water at the bottom of your floral vases to get out those nasty stains that flowers leave behind.

5.  Homemade toilet bowl cleaner.  I've taken a lot of grief for this one at work (I work with some MEAN girls!!!! hee hee hee).  This concoction is quick, easy, cheap, and a lot less toxic that off-the-shelf-cleaners.  Mix some cheap (like $.99 stuff, people) hair conditioner - a few squirts - with water, and if you have it: a few drops of Shaklee Basic G.  I keep this in a toilet brush bowl that I got for a few bucks at Target.  It's always ready, smells good, and won't kill my boys if they spill it.  Plus, the "waxiness" of the conditioner helps keep nasty things from sticking to your toilet bowl.  I can't stress how BAD store-bought bleaches and drop-ins and cleaners are to have around the house, and while I don't really condone drinking conditioner...it's the better option.  It doesn't take much to do the trick!

That's all for now - stay tuned for another installment sometime in 2010.