Quick & Easy Summer Meals {TIPsters}: Summer Salad Inspirations

Make sure you visit Kristin & Christy for their thoughts on today’s topic, as well as our guest TIPster Jillian from Hi! It's Jilly.

As I've mentioned before, our family eats very simply, so almost all of our meals would be considered quick and easy. I love how planning and preparing the same simple meals frees up some time for making more food from scratch. 

If I spent more time making dinner every night I'd probably be overwhelmed by the thought of cooking my own dried beans, preparing fresh milk kefir daily, picking a year's worth of blueberries to freeze, making vegetable broth, and baking soaked whole wheat sandwich bread. Most definitely, I'd be discouraged about trying to find time to tend to our own organic, pasture raised chickens. So for our family the trade off is very much worth it (and my husband agrees).

But, during the summer my dinner plan gets even easier. Most nights during the summer our family enjoys a delicious main dish salad. I try to add some type of protein, which for our family typically means cooked chicken or beans, although nuts and hard boiled eggs are sometimes scattered on top of our fresh veggies. 

While I love salads at restaurants, sometimes eating a salad at home can get a little boring. We've found that having lots of different veggies and a variety of toppings and dressings can help break up the boredom. I've been experimenting with homemade dressings and I'm dreaming of having several dressings mixed up in mason jars and stored in the fridge for salad duty rotations.

A few years ago we hosted a blog link up for salad recipes, but recently I've been turning to Pinterest for some ideas to freshen up our salads. So today, I'm sharing my top 10 Summer Salad inspirations.

Now, let's face it, some salads require a lot of chopping which cuts down on their quick and easy label, so I often pre-chop a large number of veggies at one time and store them in the fridge. At the very least I like to get everything chopped up during naptime so the before dinner scramble doesn't catch me by surprise.

And remember these are inspirations, salads aren't an exact science, so feel free to substitute what you have in the garden or already in your fridge to make these salads work for your family.

50+ Homemade Salad Dressings

Grilled Chicken Corn Salad

Pizza Chicken Salad

Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad

Green Bean Summer Salad

Grilled Chicken & Fruit Salad (with homemade poppyseed dressing)

(Our kids love when we add fruit to our salads, in fact we add some apple slices to most salads. We cut the apple in quarters, cut out the core and slice the apple very thinly with a mandolin slicer. We use half of an apple divided among all of us.)

Rainbow Asian Slaw

Chicken, Avocado & Black Bean Salad

Cranberry Avocado Salad

and my personal all-time favorite Asian Noodle Salad

Check out the blog parties we like to join

Please visit my fellow TIPsters:

Kristin @ Bits & Pieces from my Life and 

Christy @ A Living Homeschool, and 
our guest TIPster, Jillian @ Hi! It's Jilly.

Coming Soon:

July 17: Taking Family Photos
August 7: Schooling Kids of Different Ages
August 21: Teaching Kids to Read

(Remember if you'd like to guest host an upcoming TIPster post, just let me know.)

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Kitchen Purge & Organize {Finished Friday #45} Come link up your finished projects, too!

link up your finished projects at the bottom of this post

I've been wanting to reorganize our kitchen for awhile, but this past week when I was given a "new" set of mismatched white dishes I finally decided that it was time to clean out and reorganize our cabinets.

Yesterday, my mom came by to help and we were able to get almost the whole kitchen finished. (Thanks, Mom!)

While I still have two small cabinets to go through I already feel much better!

We're getting rid of all of this.

And now my cabinets, though still filled with mismatched dishes, are much easier on the eyes since there is a common color scheme.

The space above the cabinets is also a little neater and nicer to look at.

I hung my favorite set of measuring cups on the inside of my baking cabinet for easy access.

And I finally prettied up the space a tiny bit by hanging these cute vintage-y metal trays on the wall next to the sink. I used picture hanging command strips so neither the trays nor the wall should be damaged when they are removed. (They really are straight, but I couldn't seem to make them look that way in my picture.)

I'm linking up to these parties.

Today's Questions: Is there a room in your home that needs a good purge & organize? Do you have a plan for getting it done?

I'm trying to hold myself accountable to finish some of the projects on my to do list by posting each Friday about a project I've completed.

Would you like to join in? Link up to your own projects below.

1. Link to your project post, not your blog's home page, so we can find it easily.
2. Let us know what project you are sharing in your title, for example: Spring Wreath
3. We'd love it if your post links back here so that your readers can come join the fun. Feel free to copy & paste our Finished Friday Button into your post. (Just copy the text in the box below the button, click on the "Edit HTML" tab for your post and paste it there.)

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Where the linky says "Your Name" please enter the name of your project!

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A Home Story at the MercyINK Blog

Today I'm guest posting at the MercyINK blog. Lauren asked me if I'd share some of my thoughts for her Home Stories series. Here's a tiny piece of what I had to say...

To me, “home” describes the place where I feel loved and accepted. It’s a place of comfort and encouragement…a place I can be myself without fear or rejection. This is what I want to give my family as well. I’ve found that the feeling of home is much more important than the look of the physical house.

Visit MercyINK to read the rest of my thoughts...and please say "hi" to Lauren while you're there.

Be sure to click the link in the first email to activate your subscription.

Spring (Wardrobe) Cleaning {TIPsters}

 

Saving Time on Pinterest

If you’ve join Pinterest, you’ve probably see how it can easily become a time sucker. I love Pinterest, but to help manage my time online I needed to minimize the inspiration overload of my Pinterest home page.


Many times I simply go on Pinterest to find something I’ve previously pinned. But instead of going straight to the board where my pin was housed, I’d wander through the pins of those I follow for a few minutes (or more) first.


Even if I go straight to my Pinterest profile page I can still get a little distracted. (Just look at all those pretty things!)



So, now, when I need to find something I’ve pinned I simply type the pinboard name into my browser and go straight to the appropriate board. This way I’m able to bypass all of the new pin distraction and get right to what I’m looking for.


To go straight to a specific board simply type pinterest.com/your personal Pinterest URL/your board name. Dashes are placed between words and in place of apostrophes in the board title and symbols are omitted. You can easily find the URLs by looking at the address after you’ve click through to a specific board.

Here are some examples of my boards and the direct URLs.

Blogging = pinterest.com/heart4home/blogging

Healthy Eating & Real Foods = pinterest.com/heart4home/healthy-eating-real-foods

Alphabet Activities = pinterest.com/heart4home/alphabet-activities

By going straight to the board I need, I’m able to avoid wasting time and find the information I need more quickly. This is one of the ways I make Pinterest work for me.

Today’s Question: How do you deal with or avoid time wasters online?

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My Life–Let’s Break it Down

Many days my life seems slightly chaotic as I juggle all the demands of my very busy schedule. I’ve read that the mothers of little boys work from son up to son down. Oh, how true! Then you throw three little girls into the mix as a mother hen, an independent child, and a baby not quite 6 months old and you’ve got yourself a regular circus on some days.

I’ve found that the only way I get anything really accomplished, as opposed to simply putting out fires all day, is by establishing priorities and setting realistic goals.


This year I’ve found that setting yearly and even weekly goals has been such a wonderful exercise for me.

Without the framework of goals I often feel like I’m spinning my wheels; At the end of the day I’m exhausted but have very little to show for it.

I find it helpful to set goals as they relate to the various aspects of my life. While there are many more—housekeeper, cook, laundry lady, homeschool mom, crafter, and wannabe tree hugger—I’ve decided just to focus on the top three for today.

Having clear goals makes it easier to make and stick to my daily schedule.

So, let’s break it down, shall we?

Child of God
This is the biggest part of who I am. In fact, without this, you really don’t have me. This year I’m striving to spend more time in God’s word, the Bible. I’m also striving to make what I read applicable to my life and then—the hardest part—live it out!

Wife
Let’s just say it, being married is a big deal! Every decision you make can directly impact the person you love the most, but all this loving doesn’t always come naturally. With busy lives and demanding schedules it is so important that spouses capture the little moments and take time to reconnect.

If I don’t schedule these in they easily get crowded out by the mundane, daily tasks. So, I write them on my schedule, because I’d really hate to tell my husband that I can’t kiss him because I have to finish the laundry!

Mom
Mother, maid, nurse, cheerleader, counselor, referee—whatever you call it, it’s hard work. In our family there are four precious little ones all under the age of 5. Yes, I know, it’s a little crazy, but it definitely is helping to break down my selfish nature.


As a stay-at-home mom, my days are filled with the delights of being a mama, but they are also packed with dirty diapers, temper-tantrum (mine and theirs), messy faces, messy floors, messy clothing. Okay, just a whole lot of messy!

But, I know that even more important than feeding and clothing their little bodies is for me, their mama, to feed and clothe them with God’s love. Not that my kids are starving (no one who knows our kids would ever accuse them of not eating) or running around the neighborhood naked (although an occasional streaker might be spotted at home), but their hearts are what I’m striving to focus on.

Do they love Jesus, are they kind to their siblings, are they concerned about those who have less than they do, are they learning gratitude—am I turning their little hearts toward God, and not being a huge stumbling block of hypocrisy along the way.

So, what are the top priorities in your life? How do you make sure that they get the time and focus they deserve?

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Finished Friday: Simplify Laundry By Keeping Track of Socks {come link up your finished projects, too!}

I know we are not the only family who frequently finds ourselves at the mercy of the Sock Monster. Somehow, socks continually go missing in our home.

When I pinned this idea to my Home Organization board I knew it was something I’d need to try soon.

I didn’t think I could manage one bag for each person, but I thought one bag for my husband, me, and the baby and then another for the three older kids would work out well.

I found two lingerie laundry bags, one for our bedroom door and one for the kids’ bedroom door.

Every time we take a pair of socks off they go in one of these bags—easy as that.

When it’s time to wash clothes I simply zip up the bags and toss them into the wash machine along with our other dirty clothing. When I pull the bags from the dryer I know I have all the socks together and I even have them sorted by which room they belong in.

The kids have all done a great job adapting to this new system—now if I could just get the grownups to remember.


Today's Questions: How do you help to tackle the laundry in your home?

I'm trying to hold myself accountable to finish some of the projects on my to do list by posting each Friday about a project I've completed.

Would you like to join in? Link up to your own projects below.

1. Link to your project post, not your blog's home page, so we can find it easily.
2. Let us know what project you are sharing in your title, for example: Spring Wreath
3. We'd love it if your post links back here so that your readers can come join the fun. Feel free to copy & paste our Finished Friday Button into your post. (Just copy the text in the box below the button, click on the "Edit HTML" tab for your post and paste it there.)

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Finished Friday: Storing Winter Gear {join the fun & link up your projects, too}

With four little ones to bundle up every time we want to venture out into the cold our home seems to be littered with hats, scarves, and other cold weather gear.

Up until now our organizing "solution" had been shoving all of the warm accessories into a large tote bag in the coat closet. Then it actually got cold and we started using all of those hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves. The once "organized" tote bag was often left empty while the closet was left holding a mountain of thrown off gear.

Then I saw this idea on Pinterest. I loved the idea, but dismissed it for right now because our coat closet has bi-fold doors. But as I kept looking for a solution, this idea kept coming back to mind.

I finally decided to try out an old shoe organizer that was packed away in the closet. But instead of hanging it inside the closet door I looked for another door that could be used. Our townhouse only has two normal doors downstairs, one is to the small bathroom, the other is to the nook under the stairs where the water heater and such are located. Right now we're trying out the bathroom door first. So far we love it!

Today's Questions: How do you organize all of the extra gear that is needed in the winter? Do you think an over-the-door organizer would work for you?

Check out the rest of the ideas I've pinned to my Home Organization Board.

I'm trying to hold myself accountable to finish some of the projects on my to do list by posting each Friday about a project I've completed.

Would you like to join in? Link up to your own projects below.

1. Link to your project post, not your blog's home page, so we can find it easily.

2. Let us know what project you are sharing in your title, for example: Spring Wreath 

3. We'd love it if your post links back here so that your readers can come join the fun. Feel free to copy & paste our Finished Friday Button into your post. (Just copy the text in the box below the button, click on the "Edit HTML" tab for your post and paste it there.)

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Free eBook: Organized Simplicity

This is the last day to enter our giveaway of The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Crystal Paine of MoneySavingMom.com.

Right now you can download a free copy of Organized Simplicity from Amazon. This ebook is another wonderful resource from Tsh @ SimpleMom.net.

The price is currently $0.00 (reg. $16.99), but that can change at any time. Make sure you double check the price before checking out.

This ebook is sold for Kindles, but you can easily download this free application that enables you to read Kindle ebooks on your PC . This is how I read all eBooks, and it works really well.

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2012 Weekly Blogging Schedule

buy this print
(found via Pinterest)

One of my goals for the coming year is to grow our blog and to enjoy doing it.

I know one of the ways to do this is to make sure I'm not stressed out about getting posts done on time. In order to help myself plan ahead, I'm going to implement a skeleton schedule that will be the same every week. There will also be lots of other posts published, but this will be my bare bones blogging schedule.

Sunday
Our blog will continue to be relatively quiet on Sundays, but be sure to check out our Weekend Links if you're in need of encouragement or inspiration.

Monday
Endless Gifts ~ Stop by to see how I'm doing with my gratitude journal as I count the endless gifts from His hands. I'm taking the Joy Dare to count 1000 gifts in 2012! If you list gifts on your blog, we'd love for you to leave your link in the comments section of these posts.

Tuesday
The first and third Tuesday of every month will be devoted to Tri-Moms. Kristin, Christy and I will continue to address topics that are relevant to our roles as wives, moms, and homemakers. Topics for January and February include: The Winter Blahs, Frugal Date Ideas, and Romancing Your Husband.

Wednesday
Book Nook ~ Join us for a little book nook inspiration as we share our favorite books from the previous week. Please, chime in with your recent favorites or link to your own lists in the comments.

Friday
Finished Friday ~ I'll continue posting a finished project each week to keep myself accountable to actually doing some of the projects I've wanted to try. We're contemplating adding a linky so that you can link up your finished projects as well. 

Saturday
Weekend Links ~ Here you'll find some of my favorite articles and blog posts from the previous week as well as some of my favorite projects, ideas, and inspiration. Be sure to leave your favorite links of the week in our comments section.

Which weekly features are your favorites?
Would you join in on Finished Fridays if we added a linky?

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Tri-Moms: Time Management for Busy Moms

Disclaimer: This is a topic I struggle with a lot, so I'm writing this post as much for myself as anyone else.
Today, the Tri-Moms are discussing Time Management for Busy Moms. After the busyness of the past month and with resolutions in the forefront of our thoughts, I'm sure many of us are ready to be whipped into shape in the area of time management.
Since we're talking about time management, I'm going to do my best to make this short and sweet. 
I have found that time management is all about priorities. If something is a priority to me I typically find a way to get it done. So, making sure I have my priorities in the right order is absolutely essential. I can want to be organized with my time all want, but until I allow Christ to transform my priorities to his own, I will continue to struggle with time management and having time for the things that are most important.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God,to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."        ~Romans 12:1-2 (emphasis added)

My biggest struggle with managing my time as the keeper of our home is with cleaning. I do.not.enjoy.cleaning. There, I said it. I love to purge and organize, but the daily cleaning is very low on my list of things I like. Not that our house is a complete pig sty, but I'd much rather bake, or sew, or read books to the kids, or (I might as well be completely honest) read blogs, or wade through Pinterest. 

Somehow I began my journey of being a keeper of our home with the gross misconception that I would always have time for the creative aspects of taking care of a home and being a mom and that there would actually be very little that I didn't enjoy.

However, with four little ones at home all day, the time for my creative ventures is next to nothing and the time I'm left cleaning and tidying, and teaching the kiddos to do the same is a huge chunk of my waking hours.
So how do I do it?
Again, I'm still working through this, but I know that my mind needs to be transformed so that I see this part of my job as important, because if I see it as important I'll use my creativity do finish this job as well. If I know it's important I'll take pride in a home well organized and clean, just as I would take pride in a scarf finely knitted or a batch of bread finely baked, or a blog post finely written.
When something is important we want to do it well!
Because, what good I'm a doing my children if they can paint a beautiful painting but struggle with keeping their clothes off the floor and their bathroom clean. Let's just face it, no one wants to live in a dirty, disorganized home. They may say they don't care, but no one wants to search through the dirty clothes to find the shirt they need for work or eat dinner off of a table that is covered in week old crumbs. 
Do you want some practical advice? Well, I could tell you how making lists in the evening help me be prepared to make good choices the following day. And how breaking my day into tasks to be completed before each meal helps me stay on track. I could also tell you how reflecting on the day with my husband helps to make sure that my priorities are in line. 
But the most important thing I am finding in order to manage my time well is to make sure I make at least 15 minutes to spend in God's word everyday.
That's right, my time management strategies is to add in something else that takes time. My mom always says that when you spend time with God he seems to increase the amount of hours in the day, and I think she's right. When I spend time with God, I allow him to slowly transform my thoughts and make them more like his own. This means that my days will focus more on what is important to God and I won't even miss the other things because God's priorities will be my priorities as well.
Want some more practical help with time management? I've found these resources to be very helpful. (Disclosure: The following two ebooks are affiliate links, so we receive a percentage of each sale made, at no cost to you, of course.)
One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler. A great way to downsize what you actually need to spend time doing. Written to be completed in small easy to do tasks, in any order, and at your own pace, this ebook is very easy to customize to your life. You can also enter to win a copy here.

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Fulfilled. This e-book walks you through setting priorities and developing a time budget. Much like a money budget, a time budget will help you know where your time is going and will even allow you to create margin time for the unexpected things that happen daily in a home with young children.
And if you're a blogger I would highly recommend Blogger Behave: Make your blog benefit your life so you can love both! This is a wonderful resource to help you keep your blogging life in check and keep it from taking over your real life. I'm half way through reading it I absolutely love everything I've read so far! 
Do you struggle with time management, too? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Please visit my fellow Tri-Moms, Kristin @ Bits & Pieces from my Life and Christy @ A Living Homeschool for more ideas on managing your time as a wife and mom.



Up next: January 17: The Winter Blahs

Winter Schedule of Topics

February 7: Frugal Date Ideas

February 21: Romancing Your Husband

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