How to Be a Super Mom: Part 2: Morning Routines

Krystal's three beautiful children...

 
The following is the second in a guest post series by Krystal Taylor my good friend and “Super Mom” of three...

 A few months after her second and third children were born (surprise, twins!), her husband got laid off so she had to go back to work. Here are a few of the life saving tips that she uses to balance work and home life.

Getting ready for school…..the battle of the sleepy kids! My son, like most five year old children, much rather play then to get ready for school. Since I realized (late in life) that being organized and managing time is important I wanted to start teaching him the same thing. I made him a chart he is responsible for each and every morning. Every day he completes his tasks he gets a sticker. He can use them for small rewards (choosing a movie on movie night) or save them up for larger ones (getting a new game or book)

Karson and his morning routine chart

Other Posts By Krystal: 
 Miss How to Be a Super Mom Part 1? Check it out here: What's For Dinner?
Here's some sound financial advice: How to Set Up a House Account

Check out Krystal's Blog: Quest Of A Crazy Mom

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Zero Waste: Citrus Fruits: Part 1

One of my favorite snacks is fresh fruit. I love the taste of a freshly peeled mandarin orange and the scent is divine. A lot of people forget the nutritious value and benefits of citrus rinds, and toss them directly in the trash.

We don't eat citrus rind very much in Western cultures, probably because of the bitter flavor in the white portion of the rind. With access to food, 24/7 who can blame us? But citrus zest is a great addition to desserts and not to mention can be used to make yummy lemon, orange, or lime curd for pies or pudding flavoring.

Clean your fruit first!

Before you can work with the peel, you need to make sure the fruit is clean.
Try my recipe for vinegar fruit and veggi cleaner here.

A diagram of a lemon. Photo by André Karwath aka Aka, creative commons. Diagram by Amanda Wedvik

How to Peel Fruit to Save Citrus Rind:

 1. Using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, carefully peel away the thin layer of colorful rind, leaving the bitter white flesh intact. 
2. Don't worry you can scratch off any residual white pith if you accidentally peel it too deep. 
3. Continue until the whole fruit is peeled down to the white flesh. Set the peels aside to use or refrigerate or freeze.
4. Peel away the white flesh (pith) and discard. The fruit is ready to eat and there is very little waste.

**Another option: use a zester for finer grating for recipes requiring citrus zest. A zester looks like a cheese grater but has much smaller teeth.

 Check Out Part 2 for a tasty sugar free chocolate orange tea recipe!

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Zero Waste: Citrus Fruits Part 2

I like  to zest all of my citrus fruit to save it for cooking and baking.Whenever I eat an orange or use fresh lemons or limes, I always zest the fruit first. This also makes peeling it much easier.

Remember to zest only the colored portions and leave the bitter white rind alone.

Citrus zest, which is full of healthy citrus oils, is also great for making citrus flavored teas. Here's a good hot drink recipe for the cold winter months:

Photo by Albadawn under Creative Commons.

 Selena's Spicy Chocolate Orange Herbal Tea (no refined sugar)

1 Tablespoon orange zest
1/2 to 1 tablespoon  powdered cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tablespoon powdered cloves
1/2 to 1 tablespoon powdered nutmeg
1/2 to 1tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons dry cocoa powder

Steep in boiling water for a few minutes, strain and serve. You can also add a little bit of orange juice or lemon juice, and honey if you need a little bit of sweetness.

*It may have small traces of caffeine. I would not know the amounts. My understanding is that chocolate or cocoa may have caffeine.

*Make sure to strain well  with a mesh sieve or you will have goo and orange bits on the bottom!*

Enjoy!

Didn't get to see part 1? Check it out here.

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How to Be a Super Mom: Part 1: What's For Dinner?

The following is the first in a guest post series by Krystal Taylor my good friend, “Super Mom” of three, and blogger…

Krystal, and her beautiful family. Photo courtesy of questofacrazymom.com 

Our family first began with one beautiful little baby boy. We were blessed and happy, life was easy. Around the time our son, Karson, was about one, my husband and I decided we were ready for another baby. Boy, oh, boy did life change! All I can remember from the day of the ultrasound was my doctor saying, “Congratulations, you are having twins,” and my husband saying, “Now we need a minivan.” All I wanted to do was cry! I was happy, sad, overwhelmed, and scared all at once; what a rush of emotions. Time went on and I soon go to meet my two precious babies. Life was good, staying at home raising my children.

Then a few months later, my husband got laid off! As if life with three children was not time consuming enough, I had to go back to work. This meant I had to do everything at home and manage a job. Well, to my pleasant surprise, my husband was a big help.  I also learned that in order to be somewhat successful at this parenting thing, I was really going to have to get organized and manage my time better. Every parent knows how hard being a parent is…. but I thought, “What if I can make my life easier?” so I tried. Here are a few things I have learned along the way. They may not work for everyone, but they sure are life savers for me. J

Krystals DIY Meal Planning Chalkboard

What is for dinner!!?!?!?  
Even if you don’t have children, this is something most people don’t know until a few hours, or even one hour before its time to eat. So I decided to plan ahead with a menu for the whole week. It’s easy…no thinking necessary! I first shop for whatever meat is on sale (I buy in bulk). I then plan my meals around the sales and figure out side dishes! I cannot tell you what I lifesaver this has been for me!

To help keep my family organized and informed, I made a chalkboard to hang in my kitchen so everyone knows what’s for dinner- and it helps me!

Here's the best part: I made it for only $10.00!!!

I bought a cheap framed picture for $6.00 from the store. Used chalkboard paint to paint over the glass. I simply use the kid’s sidewalk chalk to write on it ;)

~__________________________________________________________~

Want to hear more from Krystal? Look out for the next installment of her guest posts and check out her blog at: Quest Of A Crazy Mom!

Looking for other posts like it?

How To Set Up A 'House Account' - Guest Post By Krystal Taylor

Saving Money Saving Seeds

February seed starting is just around the corner!

Now is the perfect time to start a seed train!

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EASY Amazing Way to Build Your Credit & Earn Rewards!

This little piggle went cha ching, cha ching, cha ching all the way home...

Set up autopay to pay bills with your credit card. Then pay off your credit card every month using the budget you already have for that bill. If your bill is a fixed amount all year you can set up your bank account to pay off your credit card each month. You can also set up on your credit card website to have your balance paid off each month as well. I prefer to pay it off right away each day to avoid any possible interest or fees.

Earn points and rewards for things you would already be paying for anyways. Essentially this cycles your money and bill pay through two systems (but don't worry, you are only paying it once).

Recap:
1. Set up autopay from your credit card to pay your bill.
2. Set up autopay from your bank to pay off your credit card.
3. Easily earn points, rebates, miles etc. & build your credit score.

Check this out if you want to learn about ways to save money without spending anything!

Do you have any tips for earning bonus rewards from credit card companies, without paying interest or fees?

Budget Breaker: Food Waste

 Part 1 of my new series: Budget Breakers! 

Because we all make mistakes sometimes...

Poor piggy...

I was going to write you an article about how to save money buying discounted meat. I found a good deal on chicken at the grocery store. I took it home and put it in the refrigerator and promptly....

I would have saved 44 cents a pound and bought this at a decent price of $1.04/pound.

forgot about it. :(

 I give myself the excuse of being sick, too tired to cook, sleepy from medicine... but really, I should have just frozen it. I have no excuse.

Last night I opened up my meat drawer to find it, and frantically began thinking of ways I could cook it all... only to find out in the end that it had gone bad.

So as much as I hate to waste food, if it smells funny, it's going in the trash.I'll admit, 5 bucks is not that much money to lose but 5 bucks here, 5 bucks there adds up over time.

Moral of the story: Meal planning is your friend. So is your freezer. There will be more on meal planning and freezing soon enough...


How many times have you wasted food? How much does that add up to wasted food and money over a year? A lifetime?