Ember's tips

Shopping list/coupons

2008-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I go to the grocery store, I forget to use my coupons. I hate doing that! Every time I use that product, I think about how it could have been $1.00 cheaper. I've tried the "accordion style coupon organizer" but I'm still shuffling through it looking for the coupons I need for that trip, and anyone with little ones knows that you don't want to be there any longer then you need to be. Put only the coupons you need for that trip in an envelope. Then write your shopping list on the front of that envelope. Then they're already separated and ready to go with your list. Then you just throw it away when you're finished.

Recording baby's first

2007-12-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

A good way to remember special dates for your baby is by keeping a mini calendar in your diaper bag, and one in the top drawer in the baby's room. They cost a dollar at the craft store or dollar store, anywhere basically. I know plenty of times my kids would do or say something special and I would think I would remember it later and I couldn't. If you don't have time to get straight to the journal or baby book, just write the special memory down on the date it happened and then you can go back to it later when you have time. When they outgrow the diaper bag just keep one in your purse.

Ornament hooks

2007-12-18T13:48:00.002-08:00

Paper clips make a good replacement for ornament hooks. They're actually cheaper too. I know it's pretty obvious to use a paper clip for that, but you never know who wouldn't have thought of it. You can untwist them to hang and you can even link them together to adjust the length.

Hand soap pump bottle

2007-12-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

When you use up all the hand soap in a little disposable pump bottle, don't throw it away! Rinse out the hand soap residue and fill it up with liquid laundry detergent. Keep it in your laundry room so that when you need to stain treat or pre-wash a spot you can quickly just pump a little squirt without having to get out the big bottle. Also it avoids the big bottle pouring out to fast and spilling all over. It gives the perfect little bit you need. When you use up a second one, fill it up with clear translucent shampoo (I use the $1.00 Suave). A little squirt on a grease stain before you throw it in the washer usually gets out the grease spot.

How to store the bed sheets

2007-12-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

After I heard this one I thought it was so obvious, why didn't I think of that. An easy way to keep sheet sets together is to fold the sheets like you you normally would, but store them inside the pillow case that they go with. Just tuck them down at the bottom and fold under the extra pillowcase and it makes a neat little package. It helps keep the linen closet tidy and it's quick to just grab a case and not have to shuffle through piles of sheets. I usually end up with an avalanche every time I stack them up, and this really helps to avoid that and keep everything together.

Bumping the board game

2007-12-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

This one is to help with those times when someone (often the kids) bumps the game board like Monopoly, and the board moves enough that all the game pieces move and you can't remember where everyone was. I buy a piece of no slip carpet pad, the kind that isn't sticky, and I cut it in a square to fit under all of our game boards. I just roll it up and keep it in our game basket, and lay it under the board each time we play. This idea also works for the players pieces. The carpet pad might be to thick for the little pieces, so I use those little cork stickers that you can buy on a sheet and they're usually cut in assorted sized circles, they're flat and already sticky. Then just stick one under each game piece and leave them there permanently. It really helps them from getting bumped around.

Don't mix sponges

2007-12-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

I hate the thought that the sponges got mixed up, and the one that wiped the toilet is now wiping the kitchen counter, or that I might have used an ammonia based product last time and now I'm using bleach. All you have to do is wrap a rubber band around your bottle of cleaning product and keep the sponge for that cleanser/job with that bottle. When you use the sponge, just leave the rubber band on the bottle and then when you're finished just squeeze it out and stick it back under the band. This is a great way to reuse those rubber bands that come on broccoli, asparagus etc.
Another way to use this idea is for those yellow latex cleaning gloves. You don't want to use them to scrub the toilet and then scrub the dinner dishes. So rubber band a pair to the Palmolive and a separate pair to the tidy bowl!

leftover Holiday food

2007-12-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

While everything is still on sale at the grocery store, by an extra pack of frozen deep dish pie crust. (the double pack). Fill one up with left over turkey, chicken, roast beef or even ham. Then throw in leftover veggies- peas, carrots, even sweet potatoes minus the marshmallow, potatoes (cubed or mashed), then top it all with the extra gravy. Use the other crust while still in the pie pan, and flip it over on top of the bottom crust and filling to become the top crust, and then remove the metal pan. Poke a few holes on top, sprinkle a little salt and pepper or herbs (you can sprinkle a little poultry seasoning since you have nothing else to use it for) seal the edges, and bake until the crust is browned and the filling is heated through and you have a pot pie. If the crust is browning to quickly before the filling has time to heat, just throw the metal pan back on until the last few minutes of cooking. I know it still uses the same ingredients you've been eating, but by day 4 at least it's a new presentation. Plus with the store bought pie pans you just throw them away! You could even skip the pie crust and use a layer of mashed potatoes or stuffing on the top and bottom and make like a shepherds pie type of thing.