Organization - Disney's in the Desert

Meal Planning Tips

February 15, 2022

Meal planning doesn’t have to be hard or complex! I shared on my stories recently that for the longest time after C and I had been together, married, and even had our boys – cooking was not something I enjoyed or really did much. It felt overwhelming, I felt like I couldn’t, I was “clueless”, or “didn’t have the time.” As the boys turned 4 and 2 and we welcomed Honey, I decided I needed to buckle down and cook for my family! I did care about what they ate and put into their bodies, where we got our food, what we SPENT on food, and providing things they liked – so why couldn’t I tackle this? It wasn’t as daunting as I was making it.

For the last 4+ years, I’ve been following these little tips to help me stay on track when I’m planning our family meals. I hope this can help and inspire some of you to get into the kitchen!

Timeline – How Many Dinners Will You Make?

There are 5 week days, right? I choose to cook (and shop) for 3 of them. That means 2 week nights I will grab something easy from the pantry (boxed/package meal), freezer (nuggets, frozen pizza, things I can toss in the air fryer, etc) or order in/out depending on our sports/extra curriculars schedule. I am able to stick to cooking 3 nights and not going down the route of ‘I’m just going to grab a frozen meal, a meal kit, or hit the drive thru because I’m tired and don’t feel like cooking’ more frequently than those 2 nights that are slotted for just that. I’ve already shopped for those groceries/produce and I’m not about to let them go bad! Plus, the longer you stick to this, I promise the more enjoyable it becomes.

Do what’s realistic for you. If you aren’t cooking just yet, 3 might be too much for you. Start with one night and build from there! We also leave some flexibility when it’s sports season and our week nights are even busier. If I have time, I’ll try to feed the kids something light before practice, but usually those are one or two of the weeknights I don’t cook.

Consider Your Time

When you’re planning what you’re going to make/shop for, consider the time it will take you to make AND clean up. Have it be attainable/reasonable. I’d love to gourmet-it-up, but my lifestyle doesn’t really allow for recipes with dozens of ingredients and lots of time in the kitchen.

I try to incorporate meals that are different and usually lean toward things I know will jive together and aren’t a lot of fuss. Occasionally I’ll step outside of my comfort zone and throw something together that isn’t in my wheelhouse but still isn’t something I’m spending hours and hours on or babysitting.

Some pantry and fridge I like to keep in stock at all time to make meal planning even easier: butter, chicken stock, spinach, cream cheese, heavy cream, garlic, canned cream of chicken, and canned diced tomatoes.

Shop For What You LIKE

Pick meals/produce/ingredients your family will LIKE! This is key – if I am choosing what I know they like, it’s that much easier to incorporate veggies, protein, fibers, etc! Of course there are things they’re not going to like (certain ‘green’ stuff – but they still have to eat it here and there! and if I’m adding spinach to a cheesy pasta I know they like, it’s not that big of a deal.

Plan Ahead

The girls and I on a Monday before heading out to do our weekly grocery pick up

Choose 1 day a week to grocery shop. For me, I always shop on a local grocery app Sunday nights and then I do order pick up Monday with the girls. We do it during Colly’s wake window, hit Starbs, listen to music, and have a fun time! It truly does not feel like a chore.

Keep The Ideas Flowing

A recent recipe: crockpot pork chops and potatoes

Consider keeping a running list in your notes app in your phone (or wherever you store notes/reminders) for meals you want to attempt, create, or recreate. There are so many ways to find inspiration for your next dinner. I like to make a note for the current week on Sunday before I grocery shop and if there’s another meal I’m thinking of but I’ve already planned my 3 for the current, I move it to the next and I’m already ahead “idea wise”.

It’s ok to also fall back on repeats and favorites! Every other week I will try to do a salad as our meal and just fill it with our favorite proteins, hard boiled eggs, and other veggies and cheeses. My kids also love pita pockets so I’ll make my easy greek chicken (crock pot!) and stuff the pita pockets with veggies that we have on hand. And when all else fails and I feel stumped on what to add in that week, I’ll go to my trusty “easy go to weeknight pasta”.

Buy In Bulk + Buy Generic

If possible and this is an option for you, plan to make a trip to Costco or Sams every other month or once a quarter to stock up on protein. We freeze everything, and then when it’s time to shop and cook, I can dethaw and don’t need to buy extra. It REALLY reduces my grocery bill week after week by not having to add a few pounds of chicken or beef each time.

Another thing I do is try to buy generic for just about everything. *Cue the “no one’s going to know audio”* But seriously. No one can taste a difference, and where I can save a few bucks, it ends up going a long way in the big picture (especially feeding a family of 6 now!)

Time To Get To It!

As I always say with organizing… the biggest step is starting! You have to make an effort and follow thru, and once you do you will feel motivated to keep at it. I feel so much less scattered when I stick to this routine. I feel like I’m setting myself up for success when I have this checked off my list. It really affects my whole mood when I’m prepared, and I feel like a happier mom because of it. I hope these little tips help and you’re planning and cooking with ease super soon!

Mom Hack: Label Making

January 19, 2022

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.

It’s pretty well known now that I am kind of obsessed with being organized, but something that always elevates any project I do is my label maker. I’ve owned a few over the years, and while they’ve all been helpful and served a great purpose, this pink one that I’ve been using since last summer is definitely my favorite.

I found it by accident, searching Amazon for another organizing tool, and I’m so glad I did. I LOVE that it has an app that I can connect to my phone. It comes with some pretty additions (like adding a border, different fonts + sizes for your text, and even little graphics! The kids especially love this feature when it comes to their labels). I’ve bought an extra pack of rolls for it too, because with as much as I use it, it’s nice having a back up supply.

I thought it would be helpful to share a few of my fave ways I use my label maker in my home and with my kiddos too.

Bag tags: the kids have a bunch of the Ryan + Rose cutie tags on their overnight bags and duffle bags for sports, and they come with a blank circle to add a name/info. I print out a little sticker label and add it to that, pop it back in and their bags are individually labeled (which is really helpful to tell whose is whose, since both boys and both girls have the same bags).

Kitchen labeling: I use these bamboo organizers in our zipper bag drawer, and I’ve added a label to each organizer so I know which bag is which when I’m packing snacks, lunches, or putting away extra/left over food. They’d also be great for labeling clear spice or food containers, too!

Storage bins: earlier this month I shared how I’ve decluttered space for the new year with these bins, but labeling each bin has been crucial when I’m packing them away to see what is in each. Even though they’re clear and see through, things are squished in and it’s nice to know what I’m grabbing for or forgot about later as months go on just by looking at the label.

Bathroom + closet organization: In our master bath we have a linen closet where we keep extra first aid supplies, (of course) towels, and other bathroom products. I’ve used labels to help the kids (the boys can read and Honey is right behind them) where these things we don’t often reach for, but sometimes need, are located. I’ve also labeled some stacking drawers in my closet for extra clothing items I don’t have room for in my closet or dresser drawers. I love not having to open each drawer to know what goes where.

Desk drawers: We have organizers inside our bedside tables and the kids’ school desk drawers. Labeling where colored pencils go (and similar items), helps keep them stay tidy because everything has a place and ‘home’! It truly has prevented them from just throwing things in wherever.

Back to school: I had this label maker when the kids went back to school in August and it was amazing to have when it came to labeling all of their supplies!!! I saved so much time printing out their individual names all in 1 batch for what they needed to bring in that first week. As school has continued, I still find myself making labels with their names for projects, field trips, more supplies, etc!

I hope this helps and gives you some ideas of how to get labeling! Usually the biggest challenge is just starting, so hopefully this can inspire you and give you a little push if needed!!

10 Tips for Decluttering (and cleaning!) in the New Year

January 2, 2022

Happy New Year friends!! Can you believe it’s here already? I’m definitely welcoming in this new year and setting some reasonable, attainable goals. What about you?! #bye2021

You know organization and keeping my home and family spaces tidy, but there are certain areas that have kind of just left sitting. Things would pile and it just seemed easier to close the door and look away, lol. We’ve all been there, right?

I wanted to give a few ideas in this post more focused on areas that can be easily neglected. This won’t be a ‘wash behind your washing machine!’ post, but more of things we touch daily that we can do things with each week/month in order to maintain and NOT let the build up happen. Some of these are just things I know I have left sitting and I know I’m not using, so donating or disposing of it will help clear some space for the new year.

1. Stock up on Folex. I swear by this stuff! I’ve been using for the last 2 years on our carpeted spaces and our laundry (yes, I use it on our laundry! I have not had any issues at all!) For deep/stubborn stains, I will spray a little on, let it set, then scrub. I will spray on a little more and then throw it in the wash as normal.

2. I have purchased a handful of these inexpensive bins from Target. Not only do I love that they come in a few styles (and are pretty to look at!) but they helped me declutter our holiday decor this year as well as some things in our downstairs linen closet. I chose what I wanted to put in them and only kept the things that I know we will use in 2022.

3. Clean out your kids backpacks or better yet, have them help you do this. It’s a great time to do this since it’s still holiday break. Cole keeps his backpack pretty tidy, but Conner is my kid I have to keep an eye on with this. The smaller zipper pouch tends to be where they store a lot of things over the school semester along with the occasional dirt, etc. I make them clear out whatever is trash/unimportant and then throw them in the gentle wash cycle. I also bought the boys each these wallets where they can store their school IDs, money they take for sno cone days, etc. and it helps declutter this pouch as well.

4. Time to clean your linen closets going into 2022. Donate/dispose of any linen (beach towels, shower towels, blankets, sheets etc) that may have seen their last day or that no one has touched in over 6-12 months. I know sometimes some of these things can hold sentimental value, and if that’s the case maybe store it away elsewhere or in another bin that you’re going to keep in storage. I now only keep blankets/towels that we regularly use as a family and it is so much less overwhelming. I can also see what we have and therefore it gets used so much more!

5. Another thing I took care of going into this new year is something you might not really think about, but if you have school aged kids like I do, it’s probably something they’re often touching. In my kids’ school/homework desk we have a bunch of used pencils with erasers broken off, pencils sharpened down past the point of barely being able to even hold it, and lots of mechanical pencils with no lead. I tossed all of them and replaced them with every teacher’s favorite pencils and best part: no lead to refill!

6. In my kitchen, I went thru all of our large utensils (spatulas, serving spoons, tongs, wooden stirrers, etc) that we haven’t used and donated them. It truly was not necessary to have as many as we had and I kept the ones we use weekly for meals.

7. This is something I started doing in 2021, but I get my car washed the first of every month (If I can’t go on the 1st, then sometime before the 5th). I make it a priority to do this, because as a mom of 4, my car can become pretty overrun with kids crumbs, shoe tracking, and other fun things 😉 I found an inexpensive way to do this is by going to the semi-self service car washes (usually around $7 for exterior) and then I use their free vacuums and the kids help me suck up all of the stuff on the floors and seats. I plan to continue doing this into 2022 – it’s a game changer and my car has benefited from it so much. I know by the end of the month (when it’s starting to show gross-ness again ;)) that the car wash is right around the corner and it helps me not feel overwhelmed.

8. There are several different bins, baskets, and containers I love for our closets, and I’ve linked a few of them on this post. The wooden ones are really sturdy and actually pretty deep – I picked up a few more of them plus the plastic kind with the drawers for our master closet clean out I’m determined to finish working on before January is over!

9. I plan to do a blog on my pantry sometime this year (I know, long overdue!!) but if you’re needing some help on where to start, I have all of my favorite products I use to organize my pantry linked in this post, BUT one way I keep things that aren’t in containers still staying fresh and looking uniform are with these cute chip clips. I just bought another pack because the ones I’ve had over the years were dwindling down and some had cracked (they’ve gotten so much use over the last 4 years though!). Highly recommend them!

10. This is another thing I do all year long but I thought it would be helpful to close out my tips with it. Every Monday, I wipe down and disinfect all of our electronics. It’s a really good habit to get into and bring along with you in the new year! Definitely one of those ‘it’s a new week!!!’ things for me.

I hope this helps motivate and inspire you while you’re doing some NY decluttering!! I’ve already implemented a few of these before today and my house feels so much better and the kids have more room too. I know it can sometimes be hard to start these things with life going at such a fast paced all the time, but I promise you once you start, you’ll find a good groove and you won’t want to start! Progress is always so motivating for me. Happy cleaning!