Stuff That Saves My Life

It's no secret that we're busy.  Truly, who isn't busy!?

This is a collection of some of the resources I have come to depend on to help me manage the chaos and make more time for F-U-N.  Cause, honestly, I like to have life at least somewhat in order so I can really indulge in the fun.

My latest find is {Relish!}  I went out looking for an alternative when our Super Suppers shut down.  I'd just started using Super Suppers and was pretty thrilled with how easy it was to have dinners at home every night.  If you didn't follow me in that tragedy, basically the story is this... I ordered enough for a month.  Loved every minute of it and told all my friends.  I went back the next month to order more and they'd disappeared, shut down, closed up shop!  I was devastated!  I didn't know what to do, so I attempted to duplicate the process at home.  That was a TON of work!  The food was delish, but too much work.  So, one day on the bus, I was surfing for alternatives and came across this gem... Relish!

They offer 15 different menu choices for your fridge each week and a collection of freezer items, too.  You select up five of each.  They include an entree and a side dish.  You plug in the quantity of people you are cooking for and press a button... out pops a PDF that has a grocery list that is divided up by store catagories, easy to follow recipes, and labels with reheating instructions for the freezer items.  What?!?  It takes all the brainwork out of planning... I love that!

But wait, it gets better!  They have an app!  It's web-based so it automatically syncs with what you do on the website.  (Which also means I can plan the menu and let Jeremy log in to the account for the shopping list at the store.  What now?!)



In my opinion, this is one of the coolest sections... "This and That" it offers all kinds of party menu ideas and even some fun Dinner and Movie night themed menus for a movie night at home!



If you decide to try Relish!, be sure to tell them I told you about it, please.  :)

Next up is the {FlyLady}... She has really saved my thinking about how to keep a home.  The biggest lesson for me is that it doesn't have to be done perfectly to be worth doing, meaning it's better to do a little at a time than none at all!  She teaches her readers how to implement routines to stay on top of home-keeping tasks.  I'd recommend reading her book, {Sink Reflections}, before subscribing to her on her website or Facebook.  Reading her philosophy in the order it comes in the book really helps to make the principles sink in better.

If you saw our {Routines and Chore Charts}, those were inspired by her.  Even Lexi knows her routines by the little pictures I included for her.  :)

If there's one thing I know I can't live without it's my iCal, which is synced with Jeremy's iCal.  The instant one of us enters a new event, it updates both calendars.  How cool is that?  We keep the entire family's schedule in one portable place.  It's fantastic!  We can see how potential plans and activities affect the rest of the family and set reminders for ourselves.

When I decide to step it up a notch, I go to the {Mommy Tracked Toolbox}.  There are all kinds of free organizational downloads.  My favorite is this...

It lets me post our plans for the week for everyone to see... including the kids' activities (and notes about what they need to remember for school!), dinner plans, and other ToDo items.  It helps for keeping Justus and our nanny up-to-date on what's happening with the Williams.

So, there ya go... a few things I use that give me more time for the important things, like family and FUN!