Works For Me Wednesday – Packing A Picnic for Busy Nights!

November 23, 2011 By Big Binder 1 Comment

As a family, we try and stay pretty low key.  We dropped most of the extracurricular activities this year, and focus on the gym, school, church, and family.  Our evenings are a lot less crazy, and so are we.

But this time of year brings school concerts and Christmas programs; all in addition to the general business of the holiday season.  Not wanting to give up eating together as a family or eating healthy meals, I announced that after work and school we would all head to the gym, eat dinner, and then to A.P.’s music program.  Without going home.  Or visiting a restaurant.

We simply packed a picnic dinner, to be consumed in the car before the concert.  Way less expensive, and way more healthy than fried hydrolyzed animal product from the drive through.

I made a sandwich for everyone, with a nice crusty roll and good lunch meat.  They were labeled, because we do not all agree on condiments.

I found a small veggie tray at the grocery store for $3.50, and had a few pieces of banana bread for desert.  I took paper plates and napkins, and we had ourselves a lovely little time in the minivan in the parking lot of the school.  Yes, we are a little different.  We like it that way.  It works for us!

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Keeping Track of Children’s Medical Records

October 25, 2011 By Big Binder 2 Comments

When the kids were babies, I had to drag those stupid green cards around (not the ones from the INS; the ones from the Health Department) with me to keep track of their vaccinations.  Now immunizations records for the state are all kept in the MCIR {which I thought stood for the Michigan Child Immunization Record, but it stands for the Michigan Care Improvement Registry}.  Every state has a version of this registry.

If you need a copy of your child’s record you can request a copy from the MCIR or the Kent County Health Department.  The MCIR is free but it takes a few weeks, and sometimes the Health Department charges a few bucks but they give it to you fairly quickly.  I think it depends entirely on the mood of the person behind the counter, so be extra nice and see what happens.

So why would you need a copy?

The debate about vaccines causing Autism has had an influence on parents taking a more active role in immunization decisions. I used the MCIR when A.P. was a baby to show, for example, that he had already received one of the vaccines a pediatrician was trying to give him with a ‘combo shot’.  Even if you are a parent who immunizes their children; you still don’t want them to have more than they need!  Stay informed about what the current guidelines are.  Remember that the schedules are recommended.  The vaccines can be spread out, or not administered at all.  Even if you are following the recommended schedule, get an updated copy before each appointment because the current vaccination schedule can change from one appointment to the next.

I have a file for each kid with all of their ‘shot records’ and the current green physical form (not to be confused with the obsolete green card). When they started school, I innocently popped by the pediatrician’s office and asked them to fill out the green physical form. They wanted fifteen dollars to fill out a form that 1) is inevitably illegible and 2) no one looks at.  I found out that while it’s true the school needs a new green form every year – they are also good for a year.

For example, if your child’s green physical form was filled out in November, the school doesn’t need a new one until the following November.  They just ask for it when school starts because the secretaries like sit behind their little counters and snicker at parents who are madly filling out forms, writing checks, and trying to find all of the stuff on the Recommended Supply List.

When your kids have their annual physical, have the doctor fill out a physical form at that time.  They won’t charge you if it’s done during an appointment.  Then make a copy, and hand it to the school secretary next time you’re in.  Keeping track of my kids’ medical records isn’t fun, but being informed about them Works For Me!

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Works For Me Wednesday – 8 Weeks to a Frazzle Free Christmas

October 18, 2011 By Big Binder 2 Comments

I was so anxious to get my Christmas plans together I started bugging the good people at Families With Purpose two weeks ago.   I sounded like my kids on a car trip; “Is your Christmas planner ready yet? Now is it? Now?” Yup, the beginning of October. I was worried. What if they didn’t create one this year? What if I was on my own for planning Christmas?

It’s not because Christmas is my favorite holiday {that would be Easter}, nor do I love that time of year; it’s too busy for my taste. Thanksgiving BAM Christmas BAM New Year’s BAM. I need a plan. One that covers all the bases from shopping to baking to travel. One that someone else has thoughtfully, carefully created and put online for me to print.  For free.

In what can only be called a true understanding of human nature, there are three different plans to choose from this year.

I reckon if you start after that, you can expect a fair amount of frazzle.  Personally, I always do great on budgeting for gifts, but somehow forget that I am a freak about bringing food to parties and now with Pinterest and whatnot, my food spending could quickly get even more out of control than usual.  I also love the easy, one day at a time tasks broken down into manageable steps.

Do you use a Christmas planner? If so, which one?

A Frazzle Free Christmas Works for Me!

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Getting the SKUNK Out Of Here! {Works For Me Wednesday}

October 11, 2011 By Big Binder 14 Comments

Yesterday morning, as I do every morning, I let Madison The Dog outside. She does her doggy thing in the yard while I go wake up the kids, then barks when she’s ready to come back in.

The sleepy kids stumbled into the kitchen and I heard lots of crunching leaves in the yard. Then I heard Madison bark, so I let her in. And OH MY GOD. It smelled like instead of doing her doggy thing, she had lit a fire, put some old tires on it, and thrown chives on top. I thought it was coming from the neighbor’s yard and shooed Madison in the house quickly.

Then the smell was IN the house. As I was running to the bathroom to almost vomit {seriously}, I realized what it was.

SKUNK.

It doesn’t smell anything like when you drive past one that has been hit by a car. It is much, much more disgusting. In a stinky flurry, I got the dog quarrantined to the back porch, got the kids fed and dressed, got ready to go to the gym, and got all of us {along with A.P.’s Pioneer House Project he’d just spent an entire week making} in the car.

As I carried the Pioneer House into school for him, and every single person I encountered had the same look. In fact, every single person I have encountered since then has had the same look. I can see them thinking, “What is that?!”

It’s me. And my kids. And my husband, and my house.

So if your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, let me tell you what works:

Nothing.

OK that’s not entirely true. Nothing works instantly. Maybelle ran around all afternoon double fisted with a can of Oust in one hand and Glade in the other. Didn’t touch it. We bathed the dog in 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1 teaspoon of dish detergent, and 1/4 cup of baking soda. Slight improvement, but not enough to gain entry back into the house.

The only two things that even made a dent were Skunk Off {both the dog shampoo and the house spray, but it was a $40 trip to PetCo} and boiling cinnamon sticks on the stove.

Neighbors from two and three blocks away smelled the stink. The mailman didn’t even deliver to our house yesterday {can they do that??}. It’s horribly embarrassing. I skipped my workout and went back to my stinky home after seeing ‘the look’ on a few faces at the gym and being told by the vet that the longer I waited, the worse it would get.

It was a good thing, because when I got home, she was in the back yard rolling in the skunkiest smelling area. You know, for maximum impact.

Tomorrow Maybelle gets her tonsils out, so we are housebound for the next few days.  Housebound, with boiling cinnamon, a slightly less stinky dog and a bottle of Skunk Off that costs about a dollar a squirt.  I think the only thing that truly works to get rid of skunk smells is a BB gun :) but for now, cinnamon and Skunk Off work for me.

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Works For Me Wednesday – Back To School Lunches

September 6, 2011 By Big Binder 4 Comments

Even though I love my kids’ school, I am always within inches of homeschooling.  I keep a running tally sheet of homeschool pros and cons.  The columns are usually about even, but I added a ‘con’ though on the same day I created my “Lunch Crazy” Pinterest board.  I hadn’t had such a manic feeling since I looked eagerly at the monthly preschool calendar to find out when A.P. was to bring the snack, then spent hours and hours creating the perfect treat.

I want to make awesome, entertaining, inspiring lunches.

Of course I could make elaborate lunches if I homeschooled; but all know that wouldn’t happen or it would have occurred more than once this summer as it did for the Angry Birds lunch.

A.P. is a second grade boy.  I have to be careful with what shows up in his lunchbox, so I found some I can modify and get away with.  I think.  We’ll see.

This is cute but baby-ish; I feel like I could work with it though.

Source: mail.google.com via Big on Pinterest

I LOVE this one!  That hard boiled egg face is hilarious.

Source: flickr.com via Big on Pinterest

 

This one is awesome, except there is no way that blue rice stuff would float with A.P.  I’ll just have to take the mozzarella and carrots skull and crossbones idea and run with it.

 

This one is very cool, I love the personalized fruit leather.

Source: designmom.com via Big on Pinterest

 

This is really clever, and I’m sure his teacher would be thrilled I sent skewers to school with him.

Source: bentolunch.net via Big on Pinterest

 

I’m just really hanging in there until Maybelle is in first grade, and I can cut sandwiches in the shape of Hello Kitty.

Source: kittyhell.com via Big on Pinterest

 

If you are one of the moms at my kids’ school; please be kind to them at lunch time.  It is totally not their fault their mom is a dork.  Do you have any great school lunch ideas for a second grade boy?

Making great lunches works for me!

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Mabel Mabel If You’re Able; Can You Make My Son Some Labels?

August 30, 2011 By Big Binder Leave a Comment

Last year Maybelle had a comment next to the ‘Responsibility’ category on her report card. 

“She is definitely responsible.  In fact, she often finds her older brother’s lost items and returns them to him.”

It’s nice to hear that her teacher notices how responsible she is.  It’s not quite as nice to hear it as a counterbalance to A.P.’s complete inability to keep track of his stuff.

But in reality; A.P. has a complete inability to keep track of his stuff.  He actually keeps his bedroom fairly tidy, and can tell you exactly where his Mach 6 Matchbox car is at any given time but once he leaves the house it’s all over.  I visited the Lost and Found at school every two weeks last year, because that’s how often they haul the unclaimed stuff off to the Salvation Army.   Each time I would take a reusable grocery bag, hoping I wouldn’t find anything.  Each time my bag was full.

In addition, he is the best person in the world to sit next to at school.  Lost your pencil? Here, borrow this one! Need a crayon? Why not take the box.  I love his generosity, but he can’t ever recall who has his desk supplies when he needs them.

Remember when my kids went to camp earlier this summer? It was a one week day camp, so they came home in the evening.  In that time, A.P. lost:

  • 5 socks
  • 2 t-shirts
  • 1 pair of shorts

Maybelle lost:

  • 1 sock

I should note that A.P. did come home with a fleece jacket two sizes too small on the last day.  He explained that they had gone through the Lost and Found and “thought maybe that was his”.  It was not.  The good news is that he is 1000 times easier to shop for than Maybelle is, who actually cares what she is wearing.  The bad news is that not only does he not care what he is wearing, he doesn’t even really know what his wardrobe consists of.

We need some help.  We need Mabel’s Labels.

Some for the shoes.  These have been there a week already and have not budged.  Might I suggest an air freshener label for the upcoming product line?

Some for the backpack, right next to the St. Thomas Aquinas medal.

Some for the desk supplies, so we know who has our markers.

There are also clothes labels, which are washable.  If you plan on handing these clothes down, or selling them at a garage sale you can just remove the label.   You can’t do that if you write on the tag with a Sharpie. Everything is customized, and you can choose what is on the label as well as the style and the color. 

They all come shipped in this cute little box.

These aren’t just plain old stickers.  These are durable, washable, and stay where you stick them.  He is excited.  I am excited.  Maybelle is excited.  Mabel’s Labels work for us!

I received an Ultimate Back To School Combo from Mabel’s Labels to review.  I love it, and that is my own opinion.

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Works For Me Wednesday – Rethinking Extracurricular Activities

August 23, 2011 By Big Binder 7 Comments

Last week I started dreading this fall, but I didn’t understand why.  I crave routine, schedules; organization. I usually love getting back into the school swing.

But not this year.  I felt nervous just thinking about it.  After I few days, I realized why.

I don’t want a repeat of last year.

Last year, our weeks looked like this.  We would get home from school at 3:45, do homework, make dinner, and head out to:

Monday – Tae Kwon Do

Tuesday – Soccer

Wednesday -  Faith Formation

Thursday – Inevitable meeting for some non-profit

Friday – Family Movie Night

Saturdays included a soccer game and whatever else was going on.  Oh and did I mention that my husband is in school two nights a week? And that my kids’ school is a hike and I spend 10 hours a week driving to and fro?

It was exhausting.  We didn’t eat dinner together enough.  We didn’t eat healthily enough.  We didn’t sleep enough.

We’re doing 2011/2012 differently.  Faith Formation and Family Movie night stays.  Everything else is on the table:

  • I’m still committed to saving the world, but I am limiting my evening meetings to groups that provide dinner and babysitting so the kids have a chance to socialize.  And I don’t have to make some crazy dinner while I fly out the door to a meeting.
  • Any classes the kids take will be at the YMCA, where we already have a membership and I can work out while they are in class instead of just sitting there texting people until soccer practice is over.
  • The kids can join Boy Scouts and or Girl Scouts if they meet right after school. That way we save a trip and the other child and I can sit in the library and finish homework during the meeting.
  • We will prioritize based on values.  That sounds so grown up, doesn’t it? It just means that faith and family are more important than soccer.  We are still doing Faith Formation, but dropping soccer.
  • We already have planned some family bike rides, and when it gets too cold we will do some family ice skating.
  • Let the kids get bored sometimes.  WHAT?  It’s true.  We got bored growing up, and we learned how to deal with it.  Our kids need to also.

What do you think? Is less more?  Stopping the extracurricular madness Works For Me!

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Works For Me Wednesday – The Lazy Parent’s Guide to School Involvement

August 9, 2011 By Big Binder 10 Comments

OK.  This is something I have to deal with so let’s do it.  Right here, right now.

School is starting in four weeks.

Which means that so does that whole “parental involvement” thing.  Personally, I consider myself very involved in my kids’ school.  I graciously  show up a few times a week and chat with some other ‘highly involved’ moms {Sometimes more than we should.  We’ve been kicked out Young Fives class for being too loud}.

In addition, I handle the Scholastic Order forms as well as laminate things.  I’m not sure what they would do without me, really.

One thing I do not get involved with is the PTA.  That just looks hard.

For those of us non-PTA types, I’ve made a list of ways to help your kid’s school by being involved while still remaining fairly lazy.

  • Campbell’s Labels for Education is easy.  Well, kind of.  I never really know if I am supposed to bring the whole label in, or just the little points thing.  Just do the best you can.
  • Box Tops for Education works exactly the same way.  This is a good one for you We Never Eat Any Processed Food people.  There are Box Tops on lettuce now.  Yes, it’s iceberg, but still.  Making progress.

Just bring the labels (or, little points things) and boxtops into to your school, and they are redeemed for funds. Trim everything as neatly as possible to avoid annoying the PTA.  Just trust me on this.

  • There are so many products involved with TerraCycle.  I have a friend (hi Kat!) who always collects the empty juice pouches from get togethers.  I thought maybe she was making a purse.  Or drapes or something, but no.  She is sending them in to get cash for her kids’ school.
  • Paper Gator.  That is the green dumpster next to the regular dumpster.  It has an alligator on it. You can see if your school has one. The school can then sell the papers.  Not for much, but it’s pure profit.
  • Even less effort are the many “rewards” programs around. First is Meijer Community Rewards.  A percentage of your purchase at Meijer goes back to an organization you designate.
  • D&W and Family Fare also have fundraising programs.  During specified days, they will donate a percentage of sales back to your organization.  Spartan Stores also have a “Cash For Labels” program.  You simply bring in labels from Spartan brand products and each one is exchanged for a donation to the school.

If your school is NOT doing any of these programs, tell your PTA immediately. What is missing from this list? Leave a comment!

Being lazily involved works for me!

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How To Make An Indoor Clothesline {And a Purex Giveaway}

August 2, 2011 By Big Binder 7 Comments

TheBigBinder.com

This is my laundry room.  Pretty standard, as far as they go.  See my dryer in the corner?  It doesn’t get much action.  I try and tell it that being a shelf for my favorite laundry products is a Really Special Job, but my dryer is just not having it. It wants do do it’s thing; dry clothes.

But when we decided to cloth diaper {this was back in the olden days of cloth diapering, 8 years ago. All In Ones were still a big deal} my husband built an indoor clothesline to hang the diapers up to dry.

Two children and two potty trainings later, the clothesline remained.  It was still in good shape, so I started drying a few loads a week on it.  Other than some setbacks when I got freaked out about lice {which we never got} and bedbugs {which we also never got}, I have continued line drying.

Then I realized that if I did one load a day – and kept up with it – I never really needed to use my dryer.  By the time one load was dry, another was coming out of the washing machine ready to be hung.

I figured out I only save about $60 a year, but that’s OK.  It’s fun to have ‘being lazy’ mean you use your dryer instead of hang your clothes up to dry.

TheBigBinder.com

Here is how my husband did it. I have two lines hung in my laundry room.  You need:

  • Four 5/8 wooden dowels {mine are metal, but only because my husband used an old broom handle to make them!} – the length will depend on how low you want the lines.
  • Two laundry lines.
  • 8 1 1/2 inch screws

Then he drilled three holes in the dowels {er, metal broom stick pieces} and used a used the screws to attach them to the nasty, exposed ceiling boards.

TheBigBinder.com

He strung the lines through the bottom hole, and tied a knot in them.

TheBigBinder.com

That’s it!  I use them every day, and every couple of years the knots have to be re-tied but other than that it is very low maintenance.  Way lower maintenance than a dryer, for sure.

Since I don’t use a dryer, I obviously don’t use dryer sheets.  I do use a fabric softener though. I have a mild to moderate obsession with Purex Crystals.  I buy it when I don’t have a coupon.  I buy it when it isn’t on sale.  I seriously do not wash a load of clothes without it.  Purex rewarded my, um, loyalty by making me a Purex Insider and that means I get fun stuff.  Such as two free bottles of Purex Complete with Zout to give away (another laundry product on which I have an unhealthy dependence).

Would you like to try it? Just fill out my form; I will pick TWO different winners and send you each a coupon for a full sized bottle of Purex Complete with Zout.  The drawing will be done using Random.org on Saturday and I’ll contact the winners by email.  If I don’t recieve a response within 24 hours I will draw another winner.  Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed.

Line drying clothes works for me!

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