The Doctors Wife

Mommy's Helper

I vacuum a lot. With two dogs and two small children, it is necessary, or my carpet will look terrible and I will be performing mouth sweeps on David every other minute. The only problem has been that Hannah has freaked out about the vacuum cleaner for the past couple of years. And trust me when I say, this does not make for an easy time. And she was showing David to be afraid as well, and having two screaming kids while you are trying to vacuum is not fun for anybody. Well, when I saw this little Dyson, I knew that I had to get it for Hannah. It looks just like mine, and she is no longer freaked out when I vacuum. In fact she will "vacuum" long after I am finished. Hooray for the mini Dyson!!!

 

  

Consider This Post A Public Service Announcement

A fair warning that this post is not for those with a weak stomach, and if you are eating, you might want to come back later.

This little Rover has a thing for the dishwasher. It's open and he's trying to climb in (or makes it in as illustrated below) He keeps me on my toes, the first thing out is always the knives, because a Rover and a chef's knife are not a combination I am interested in exploring.

 

 So a few weeks ago I was battling David trying to keep him at bay while I tried to unload the dishwasher, and he had wrangled out the basket that the utensils go in that sits on the door. And to my horror of horrors this is what I saw:

 

OH MY STARS IN HEAVEN!  I KNOW! I KNOW!!!! If you know me at all, you know that I am a bit of a clean freak, with a healthy dose of germ-a-phobe thrown in for good measure. And I seriously just about hit my knees with disgust over this. And OH MY I felt so queasy. Is that not the most disgusting thing you have ever seen?! A very thorough scrubbing later, all was right with the world again. It never occurred to me that this needed to be cleaned.  So now I have added my dishwasher to the cleaning routine, and if you haven't checked behind your utensil basket, consider this a friendly PSA and clean it today!

  
  The Rover says, "Hey Mamas- clean your dishwasher today!"

 

**I now take out the utensil basket and place it on the bottom rack unless I have a very full load, and  for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, this is how it fits on the door:

 

Curtastrophe

A couple of weeks ago when little Miss Hannah was feeling under the weather, I begged asked my Mom if she would like to come visit for few days so we could hang out and I could try to get a few things done around my house. I have been wanting to make curtains for our dining room since we moved in, but have never gotten around to it. What with the whole going to a fabric store with two small children while doing math in my head that involves conversions and getting out my sewing machine and all that goes with it and you know, actually sewing the curtains, well I just never found the time. But I could not stand curtain-less windows any longer and with my children in my Mother's very capable hands I made a solo trip for some fabric and came home and got down to business. As I began to pin the fabric, I began to regret my fabric choice. Let's just say that it involved puckering and gathers, and it was most unpleasant, especially when I realized that the lady who cut my fabric did not cut it straight (although if you were eye balling it and not measuring it looked fine) and by not straight I mean a difference of anywhere between 4-8 inches off, which is A LOT. So pinning one panel took me a sweet forever and when I actually began to sew the panel, I regretted my fabric choice even more. As nap time was running low and my frustration level was reaching its limit, I decided to sew the second panel guerrilla style, without pinning it. This horrified my sweet Mother and I asked that she leave the room so she would not witness the sewing atrocity that was getting ready to take place. I assured her that once they were hanging up, it would be fine. Just fine. Absolutely fine. And for $30 and a nap-time later, I think they look pretty great. They are assuredly far from perfect (much shorter than I planned- thank you for cutting the fabric all wonky fabric lady) but at the end of the day, mission accomplished.

The Before:

 

The After:

 

And a close up so you can see why the fabric was such a royal pain:

 

 
 
 

Playing Catch Up

This week has been the first week in four weeks that I have not had a sick child. (Praise the Lord!!) I have been trying to get back in the swing of things, and get my house back under control. Fall always makes me feel nesty, and I have been trying to tackle a few projects around the house. If everyone stays well, maybe I will get something done and be able to share pictures! (I put up my fall decorations a few weeks ago, and am hoping to share pictures this weekend) I really, really hope that everyone in my little household will stay well, (at least for a few weeks!), I am finally starting to get things back to "normal" and would really like for them to stay that way!! If I can ever get my house back in shape, I have some fun things to share. Nothing too fun today, but I will leave a little tip- does your washing machine have a timer? My new one does, and OH MY it makes me love it even more! I stick a load of clothes in at night, set the timer and in the morning I wake up to my washing machine doing it's thing. No more forgetting to get laundry started until the afternoon! So if you have a newer washer, check and see if it has a timer- and if it does, use it!! 

Who Has Time For Laundry Anyway?

Our washing machine quit working on Tuesday. We went shopping for a replacement yesterday, and I am super excited about my lovely new washer (you know you're getting old when you get excited about appliances). But (oh, isn't there always a but?) it won't be delivered until the 18th. As in 12 days away. As in 12 days with 2 kids and no washer. The laundry is piling up around me, and in 12 days it will be a mountain. I'm going to have to find a laundry service, or my kids will be running around in dirty clothes (which would be better than them running around without clothes!) It is funny how much "free" time I seem to have- I apparently spend a lot of time (more than I would have guessed) doing laundry.

 But with a little cutie like this, who has time for laundry anyway?

Food Waste Friday

I have to say, I am pretty happy with how things went. There are weeks that I feel like I throw so much away, and it really bothers me when my lack of planning leads to so much waste. It is like throwing away money, and we work too hard to throw away money. So while I know that there are some of you out there who may think this is a lot, this is good for me. So here it is, here is what I tossed this week:

Not as bad as I have been in the past! The ricotta was almost empty, the oranges were a Hannah thing (ie I want oranges, oh wait, but not to eat), the cucumber salad was tasty, but gave me heartburn (peppers) so I never finished, and the cheese, well that's just gross!

And I guess I'll  count this:

What is this you ask? It was my attempt to use up a bunch of apples before they went bad. 

I found a recipe for crock pot applesauce- needless to say it is not a keeper and the apples were not salvageable.

I have to say that this really helped- I was much more aware of all of the leftovers in the fridge and did a better job planning my meals to use up the ingredients that we had. Thanks to Kristen at The Frugal Girl for this great way to be accountable! If you want to see what other people tossed or do a quick clean of your fridge and join in, head over here to check it out!

*Edited to add- this does not count any "table-scraps" from meals throughout the week. Unless there is enough of something to use again for another meal, eat as leftovers, etc. I don't count it. I do not want to feel compelled to eat every scrap of food- I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full! This is to help me me more accountable at using up ingredients/ produce, etc. that I purchase each week, to be more thoughtful in planning out meals so I can utilize leftovers and the ingredients that I have on hand. There have been times when I have thrown out things that were never opened, used, etc. and that is a terrible waste! I have been working on cutting back on waste, and I thought this would be great in keeping me accountable! And as far as Hannah goes- I toss a LOT of what I fix for her! She is a toddler and I know this is normal, I will save something and try again if it is appropriate, but again, I do toss a lot of what I put in front of her!

Because There's Nothing Like A Little Shame...

I was blog hopping late Saturday night (I am on the internet a lot at night while I nurse- it keeps me from falling asleep, and if I am blog hopping ie clicking around from link to link I can do it with one hand) and stumbled across this. What a fabulous idea! I feel like we waste a lot of food- and not just because I have a toddler who refuses to eat 85% of what I put in front of her. (I keep telling myself it is a phase) and I have been trying really hard to cut back on our waste, but I know I still have a loooong way to go. This will work out great for me because we recently joined a local co-op (which I LOVE! and it is all organic- which I LOVE even more) and we pick up on Friday, so it will allow me to have a cleaned out fridge for my groceries. So I thought I would go ahead and post about this now in case any of you want to join in...there's nothing like a little shame (or threat of) to get motivated. 

Here is a picture of my produce from last week (we get meat too, but that seems a little gross...I think I am correct in my assumption that you would rather not see pictures of raw meat)

I know ahead of time what the meat will be, but the produce is a surprise. I love this, it has helped with adding greater variety to our meals! (and it feels a little like a Top Chef challenge to come up with meals from what I get) I generally start to plan what I think I want to fix when I order (you don't have to buy  every week) and then finalize on Fridays when I pick up. I make my meal plan, and grocery list (for whatever else we need, and anything else we need to round out our meals) and then I'm good to go. I cannot say how much I love this! I go to pick up and everything is ready- I just walk in and check out. And it is a store, so if I know ahead of time I can pick up anything else I need, and THEY DELIVER! Oh glory day-I haven't utilized this yet, but with two little ones I know there will be weeks when this option will be a huge blessing! Also my list for the grocery store is MUCH smaller now, so my weekly trip to the store is much faster. Did I mention that I am in love with this co-op? Super reasonable, local, 100% organic, delivery available, what's not to love? ; ) I am really trying to make sure I am planning to use up as much as possible each week- especially now that I will be posting anything that gets tossed (oh the shame!) Now I'm off to look up some recipes...I have a bunch of apples to use up! If you have a great recipe that is quick and easy (two kids under two here!) and calls for apples, email me, leave a comment or link!

Bringing In Spring

While making a quick run to the grocery store on Wednesday, I decided to pick up some shamrocks for St. Patrick's day, and also grabbed a hyacinth. When I got home I enlisted my Mom to help me put the three together- we both immediately eyed a large metal bowl that sits on top of my fridge, and this is what we came up with:

I love how it looks, and it has brought in a perfect touch of spring to my dining room. This time of year always makes me want to freshen things up, and this was a super budget friendly- I spent about $10 on the plants, everything else I already had. What do you do to freshen things up without spending a fortune?

Making Your Home A Haven

Monica over at Homespun Heart is hosting a week- long Making Your Home A Haven Challenge. This kind of thing is right up my alley! I am a neat freak/ organizing maniac and while I like to get out as much as anybody, I really am a home body. I find that days that I am just itching to get out and do anything, my home is a mess and clutter has started to take over. When I feel the desire to get out just for the sake of getting out, what I am really wanting is to get out to avoid the chaos. (and that is not the home life that I want for myself or my family!) I enjoy being at home and I want my family and friends to enjoy our home too!

Today's theme is "tidy". Monday is the day that I do a thorough cleaning of Hannah's room- in addition to the regular cleaning, I sorted through all of the toys and pulled out the "baby" toys. I have been meaning to pull them out and put them away in preparation for the new baby, and it is the perfect time to make some room for new toys that Christmas is sure to bring. I am so glad that this is done! The "baby" toys just clutter the room while she is playing- she doesn't play with them, but they get pulled out and moved around. Now they are tucked away in the baby's closet.

Hannah's room generally stays pretty picked up- but Monday is the day that I clean/ wipe down the furniture, change the sheet, changing pad, etc., and put any toys that are in the wrong basket/bin away. I also refill her wipe warmer, add more diapers to the changing area, and wash a load of her clothes/ sheets, etc. One of the reasons her room is not a complete disaster is that a lot of her toys are stored in her closet in baskets and bins. (In her room she has a drawer and two bins that have toys that she has access to, but I find that if she can get out all of her toys at once- she will. I think it is overwhelming and there ends up being very little room to actually play, and she is more reluctant to help pick up) Here are some pics of her closet:

Hannah loves to be in her closet- she is such a girl- she was in all of the pictures I took!
The pink baskets hold extra hangers, hats and other random accessories, toys and books. The pink drawers hold toy sets, and one is for clothes that are out of season or she has outgrown. When the drawer is full, the contents get sorted and put away/ donated, etc. Taking advantage of the closet space has really helped to keep her room tidy.

Other things that are on my list to tidy today are:
Fold and put away towels
Wash and put away Hannah's clothes
Wash and put away whites
Empty dishwasher
Sort/ put away mail
clean out the freezer*

*I would usually do this on the day that I clean up the kitchen, but my freezer is in desperate need of a good tidying up. I honestly don't know what all I have and that has been driving me crazy- so since it fits in so nicely with the tidy theme (and I love me a theme) today it is!

Hopefully I will post before and after pictures of the freezer- but we'll see how the day goes! If you want to join in, head over here to join the fun, or just head over to check out and encourage what others are up to!

Recipe Box Swap- Lunchtime Favorites

It's time for another recipe box swap! This month's theme is lunchtime favorites! This is an easy, easy salad and is one of my favorites for lunch.
Layered Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Lettuce (I like Boston or Bibb)
Cooked Chicken
Chopped Celery
Chopped Bell Pepper
Chopped Green Onion
English Peas
Mayonaise
Chopped Bacon
Shredded Cheese
(Base the amount you use from what you have on hand and how much you like each ingredient)

Layer ingredients in glass serving dish, top with a little salt and pepper. I like to serve this with some type of cracker, fresh bread, etc. This is great for luncheons, and a great way to use leftovers!

Thanks to Randi at I Have To Say for hosting- head over to check out other great recipes or post one of your own.