I never know what to cook! I can look at a whole chicken and have no imagination as to what to do with it.

Meal planning has helped me spend less time on worrying what to cook and given me extra time to worry about the food not burning.

I do my grocery shopping every Sunday or if I am feeling extra rebellious every Wednesday when the grocery specials are out. I save time also by collecting all the ads of the local competitor grocery stores to get a price match *pats self on back*

ANYWAYS, before going to the grocery store I look through my fridge and pantry and start making my list of what to get to make SURE I do not buy another jar of peanut butter that we do not need. Once I have my list ready I am ready to go shopping! Grocery shopping that is! Unless I go to Super Target where I can find both food and clothing all in one convenient location!

There are tons of apps now that can help you prepare your meals! One of my favorite is All Recipes. It’s a simple little app where you can put your current or future ingredients in and it gives you tons of options as to what to cook.

Then I can plan my meals for the week, for a day, or even just plan a last minute meal. Even though I totally recommend planning a week’s worth of meals but we all do not have time for that.

photocredto: theguiltlesslife.wordpress.com/

THE ART OF BED MAKING

“Why make my bed in the morning if I am just going to unmake it at the end of the day again?”

I could never ask myself that question or even ask my mom. It was just expected of me that as soon as I woke up to get ready for school a part of my routine was that my bed was made.

I enjoy coming home to a made bed after a long day of work. When I am in a rush and come home to an unmade bed I am just like “OMG I should have made my bed” and then I can’t sleep and then I just toss and turn all night…. Okay no, maybe not as dramatic but you get the point.

The art of bed making just makes any room feel cleaner and gives a sense of calm. Even by disguising the made bed by just pulling the covers up and leaving the mess under I feel good.

Unless your’ children have a designated spot on  your bed where they sleep with you it shouldn’t be a difficult task to tackle.

So next time you find yourself with a little extra time in the morning or even if you are in a rush. Come home to a calm room by just pulling up the covers. You can always perfect your bed making on your days off and even fluff the pillows and such.

photofrom: daddydetails.com

Does your medicine cabinet still have Children’s Tylenol, but your “baby ” is 16? Do you have old prescriptions that you aren’t quite sure what to do with? Don’t just throw it away in the trash can where kids can find them, and who wants to contaminate our water supply by tossing them down the toilet?

This Saturday, April 28, 2012, the DEA will be setting up locations all over the country where you can take your unused, expired drugs to dispose of them the correct way without harming Nemo, Mother Earth, and anyone or anything else that does not need to be taking Xanex. Take advantage of the Fourth Annual National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday and clean out that medicine cabinet.

To find a collection site near you check out http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

Gather everyone and head to the Tempe Diablo Stadium this Sunday morning before all the cars begin their four day rally departure through Flagstaff, Bagdad, Globe, Roosevelt Lake, Oro Valley and other spots around Arizona! Your kids and friends will love to see these cool cars! This FREE event provides coffee, doughnuts, raffles, and free prizes!

A friend of mine has invited me to the Copperstate 1000 Departure to be googly-eyed with her over this 80 exotic and rare racing and touring car display! Of course I said I would go with her and also support the drivers in their upcoming four day rally!

READ MORE

Need an outing for a large group of kids?!

Until May6, visit the Arizona Museum for Youth for the, Wing It! Things that Fly exhibit!$7 admission gets you into the museum for great activities! Kids get to build things that fly and experience stimulated flight!

A highlight to this exhibit?

The Camp out — Flying creatures of the night, such as bats, owls, fireflies, night hawks and moths, get the spotlight. Children will “camp out” using tents and experience the calls and sounds that each creature makes.

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Need to get everyone out of the house for some cleaning? Use these events, then call our Moxie Girl Team to schedule an appointment for home services while your out of the house having fun!

Don’t miss out!

Miss Moxie

The other day, I talked about organizing your home to give it a vacation-like atmosphere. It looks like I forgot about the closet, since I wouldn’t normally try to rest in it.  But, I have a feeling I am not alone.

Many people think of organizing your closet as a sneak preview to the garage. Most of us sigh with the dreaded task, but in all honesty, it’s a simple hurdle. AND it can be just as fun as shopping if you follow our simple steps.

There are two approaches you can take:

1. Think of it as a prelude to the garage in the most positive sense. If you can tackle organizing your clothes in your closet effectively, you will be prepared to take on the garage once that time hits. The organizing process will become second nature by then (baby steps).
2. Think of it as a reward. There are probably some items you haven’t seen in a while, so finding them can be like a buying a new shirt or entire wardrobe! The sooner you get through the process, the sooner you have found either “new” clothes for you to wear or “new” space for your shopping spree to fill. Reward yourself.

With that being said, let’s take this one set at a time and organize the clothes in your closet. Click here for our tips. You will even see some familiar information.

Moxie Girl Household Assistants organize homes in Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee, Peoria, Glendale an Surprise.

This week for “Girls Night In,” Ali brought out a game that I had never played before. Apples to Apples is the name of the game! This funny word game had us laughing all night long! After an hour of playing Apples to Apples, of course I decided I need to have this game for my house!

I finally picked up the box to read more about the game, and come to find out it is approved for children ages 12 and up. Even your kids can play this game with you! Have a family that you need bonding time with? Board or card games are a great way to accomplish that!

Having trouble with too many games/toys cluttering your home? Moxie Girl offers home organizing packages to all clients. And we organize game/toy rooms!

Miss Moxie

Anyway, one of the items I found I could save mega-mulah on was rice. We cook a lot of Asian meals, so we go through a lot of rice. Rather than having to buy a 2lb bag of Basmati at the grocery store for $4, I found you can get a 20lb bag at a local Asian market for about $12. I was so excited about the deal, that I didn’t even consider how I was going to store a giant bag of rice in my pantry. For days, I searched and searched local stores for a plastic bin that was big enough to hold the rice, small enough to fit on the floor of my pantry, and would seal to keep bugs out, but I had no luck.

Then, as I was randomly strolling through my world wide neighborhood, I found the perfect solution! Sterilite has now come out with a 20qt box WITH a gasket seal. I just got two of them (one for long grain, one for Basmati) in the mail today, and had to show them off. They aren’t labelled yet, but don’t worry, they will be soon.

If you are have been looking for some good storage options like this, I recommend using USPHome. They have a lot of options, were very easy tp purchase from, and my order got here in super speed.

If you have any other ideas on storing bulk items, I would love to hear about them!

One tip I suggest is dusting your home. Eliminating the dust in your home will decrease the chances of allergies acting up in doors for the members of your house.

Easy Ways to Dust:

I know I love the Swiffer Duster! It works so well; and the model that extends is so handy for dusting ceiling fans, skinny spaces, and unreachable spots.

Go through eye level dust holders in your home with a micro-fiber cloth. This will clean up those dust bunnies fast!

Don’t have time to get all your dusting needs completed? Moxie Girl provides dusting services at affordable prices.

Stay Allergy Free!

Miss Moxie

I must say I don’t know anyone who likes to be sick. So what should we do to heal quickly at the first sign of a cold or allergy attack? Our Moxie Team has been noticing many of our in-home services clients have been bringing out their humidifiers to protect them and their families from getting colds, irritation allergies, and asthma attacks. To protect your kids, family, and selves from getting sicker, join our clients in putting a humidifier in your bedroom while sleeping. The humidifier will decrease the amount of dry air in your room. Having dry air in your home worsens symptoms of colds, allergies, and asthma.

Here are some fun kids designs from Target that we have seen in our client’s homes!

You can find different designs at home and health retail stores. Target has other children’s designs to choose from also!

Not a kid anymore? Ok grown ups, there are designs for your room too!

These designs can be found at Target too!

Keep your air moist everyone!

Miss Moxie

I immediately thought, “Wow.. I was excited about getting a quarter back when the Tooth Fairy visited me.”

The little girl then went on to tell me everything she plans on buying with the money as she has deemed herself the “richest girl in the world”.

Money doesn't buy happiness... or does it?

Shortly after I ran into a little boy who is in 7th grade. I asked him if he was excited for Halloween and his response wasn’t focused on the costume. Thomas couldn’t wait for all the candy.

In asking if he was going to eat all of the candy he would collect “trick or treating”, he replied, “Not all of it.. I’m going to take some of it to the dentist.”

Now wait a second. What’s the theme here?!? MONEY! Even at a young age, the kids are getting the concept of money and are enjoying the little tastes they get here and there.

I’m the kind of gal who likes to make situations into “win-wins”. This Halloween, get candy and get paid! Local dentists all over the state are collecting candy and will pay you back per pound that they receive.

To look up more information on who’s participating, click here.

For a more in-depth explanation of a few certain locations, click here.

To learn more about the program and how to send love and support to your troops overseas this holiday season, click here.

To learn more about Operation Gratitude, click here.

Let’s make this Halloween something to SMILE about. :+)