Mommin' It Up!

November 4, 2009November 4, 2009

WFMW: The Great Toy Purge of 2009

Ok so I can’t exactly say that the Great Toy Purge of 2009 works for me, because I haven’t exactly done it yet. I plan to, but I’m not sure how.

Which is where you come in.

I am making my Works For Me Wednesday post a backwards WFMW, because I need to know what works for you.

We have a full, finished basement, and while it is big and a wonderful space for the kids to play, 99% of the time it is a complete disaster. There are toys everywhere. (BTW, I swear we do not buy our kids lots of toys. I think they are like gremlins and multiply at night). I would show you pictures but I’m too embarrassed. And really, the kids have no idea what toys are down there and they can’t even enjoy the space, seeing as how they can’t walk through it.

So, my goal is to purge the basement of all the outgrown, broken, or generally unused toys before the influx that is bound to happen at Christmas. What I’d like to do is buy one of these for the basement (and one for my dining room, while I’m at it), so that everything has a home and can be nicely organized.

The Ikea Expedit. Isn’t it lovely?

So here’s what I need to know from all of you smart readers:
1) How ruthless should I be in the toy purge? Or, I guess, how do I decide what to keep? (I have the “well we may need that someday” syndrome)
2) What should I do with the toys I decide to get rid of?
3) What’s your toy organization secret?

Basically, what works for you?

Because what we’ve got going on now… it doesn’t work for anyone.

I can’t wait to read your tips!

*****
For more Works for Me Wednesday (this week is a holiday edition!), visit We are THAT Family.

March 4, 2009March 4, 2009

WFMW: OnceaMonthMom.com

Our friends Tricia and Cortney have an awesome new website called Once a Month Mom. They provide detailed menus, recipes, grocery lists, and – most importantly – instructions on how to cook once and eat all month.

Since once a month is about my cooking limit anyway, I decided to give it a shot. However, cooking one meal and doing “Once a Month Mom” cooking are two entirely different things! Last weekend, though, I decided I was up for the challenge.

To make OAMM cooking day a success, it’s best to have a partner. My partner was my good friend Emilie, who is usually game for whatever crazy scheme I concoct. Emilie and I work together, and we both have really limited time to get dinner on the table at night, so we were excited to give it a shot. We printed out Tricia’s handy grocery list, figured out what we already had between the two of us, and split up the rest of the items.

As I mentioned yesterday, in order to do all this cooking, I decided to buy a food processor and a can opener. Yes, I did own a can opener (Campbell’s chicken noodle is a staple at our house) but after seeing the mass quantity of can goods that were going to require opening, I thought an electric one would be a good idea. And the food processor just seemed like a lot of fun.

Because of my genius, Tricia has appended her cooking tips to include “The food processor is NOT FOR EVERYTHING.”

So my tomato and green peppers were a little soupy. How was I supposed to know that?

In any case, after about six hours and a few minor mishaps (I put all bazillion ounces of cooked pasta into one dish that called for 16oz – oops!), Emilie and I had made:
–Breakfast Burritos
–Banana Sour Cream Muffins (my personal favorite thing of the day)
–Taco Soup
–Vegetable Soup
–Chicken and Corn Quesadillas
–Spaghetti Sauce
–Lasagna
–Chicken Parmigiana
–Baked Spaghetti
–Chicken Macaroni Bake
–Chicken Ziti
–Chicken Enchiladas

My freezer is FULL. And guess what?? Emilie and I each only spent about $100 on the groceries! Do you realize how CHEAP that is for a month of meals? It is amazing. I would have never, ever, ever had enough time in the evening to make meals like this. And I would have never undertaken it on my own – the grocery list (in a spreadsheet, which made my dorky heart sing), recipes and instructions provided by Once a Month Mom did all the thinking for me.

It was a long day (Note: Take Tricia’s advice about getting the kids out of the house. Our three kids running around made it much more complicated!), but it was fun and it was so worth it.

Healthy, homemade meals all month long? That works for me!

For more WFMW tips, click over to We are THAT Family, the new home of WFMW!

January 7, 2009January 7, 2009

WFMW: Yummie Tummie and a GIVEAWAY!

I’ve recently discovered Yummie Tummie shapewear, and I love it! Yummie Tummie is the first shapewear brand that is comfy, sexy, and meant to be seen. It really is comfortable enough to wear every day – I’ve worn mine daily for about three weeks, and it’s not something I dread putting on. Also, unlike some other shapewear I’ve ~~tortured myself with~~ worn, I don’t break a sweat trying to put it on! It stays in place, keeps everything sucked in, and… did I mention it’s comfortable?

Here are the details:

Yummie Tummie has been featured in Cookie Magazine, People Magazine, and it was one of Oprah’s “Top Picks” last summer. Need I say more?

Probably not, but I will anyway.

Yummie Tummie is PERFECT for the post-holiday haze we’re all in right now. But they’re not jumping on the New Year’s resolution bandwagon. Oh no. Their motto is eat, drink and be yummie. I’m in favor of that!

Here’s a little more about their current promotion:
Heather Thomson, the celebrity stylist who has dressed Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and P. Diddy, and the founder and designer of Yummie Tummie recognizes that we need to overindulge now more than ever. And who better than Yummie Tummie to bring it to you, because when you’ve had your fill – and then you’ve had some more – Yummie Tummie has you covered! Yummie Tummie, the new leader in shapewear, will visibly slim, shape and smooth you. It’s the first shapewear on the market that is actually comfortable enough to wear all day and evening. Visit www.EatDrinkandBeYummie.com for a full list of all your favorite overindulgences, rate your favorites, and upload new indulgences, and find recipes to all your favorite treats.

And here’s the best part – we’re giving away a $100 gift certificate to YummieTummie.com!!! All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment telling us about your favorite indulgence.

The contest will end at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, and the winner will be chosen using Random.org. Good luck!

Eat, drink, and look good doing it – works for me! For more WFMW tips, head over to Rocks in my Dryer!